Donciu’s appointment as CNI head undermines commission’s functionality, statement

The appointment of Anatolie Donciu as head of the National Integrity Commission (NIC) is a direct infringement of the Law on the NIC and seriously undermines the independence and functionality of the Commission, the director of the Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO) Sergiu Ostaf said in a news conference on October 29, stating the opinion of a number of civil society organizations, Info-Prim Neo reports. Sergiu Ostaf said the decision of the Parliament’s legal commission for appointments and immunities concerning Anatolie Donciu’s candidacy for the post of member and chairman of the NIC wasn’t transparent. This subject wasn’t included in the agenda of the commission, while society could not realize the right to civic control over the candidate. Sergiu Ostaf made reference to the Law on the NIC, which says that this institution’s head shouldn’t have held a public post. Anatolie Donciu was the first deputy prosecutor of Chisinau municipality in 1999-2002 and vice director of the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime in 2002-2004. “We can speak about an extremely problematic situation as regards the application of this law. How can somebody implement the law when they do not meet the integrity conditions,” he said. He also said that the confidence in the NIC head is undermined because the candidate was chosen as a result of a political bargain so that the ruling parties could use the Commission as a political instrument. “The mission of the NIC is not to serve the party interests or to be as an instrument for a political group,” said Sergiu Ostaf. In a joint statement, CReDO, together with other NGOs, recommends the CIN head to give up this post. Civil society also urges Parliament to initiate the procedure for restoring legality in the Commission’s work and to name a chairman who would meet all the legal requirements. The statement was signed by CReDO, the Jurists for Human Rights, the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), and the Institute for Human Rights (IDOM). The CIN aims to ensure transparency in the process of declaring the incomes by public servants and to facilitate the society’s public control. Anatolie Donciu was named head of the Commission by the votes of the lawmakers of the ruling alliance on October 25.