The justice sector reform launched by the PAS government risks failing. The warning was issued by the acting president of the Association of Judges of the Republic of Moldova Ion Chirtoacă. According to him, while fighting against persons who are suspected of corruption, the government can destroy the whole judicial branch. In the same connection, Chisinau Appeals Court judge Angela Bostan said the labeling “corrupt judges” was used too often in the absence of final convictions for acts of corruption, IPN reports.
The acting president of the Association of Judges noted that the justice sector reform is welcome, but a broad consensus in society is needed for implementing it. For the integrity and professionalism of judges to be determined, the Constitution needs to be modified. The pre-vetting showed that the judges want the justice sector to be reformed.
“The justice sector reform is necessary, but the judicial branch is being destroyed owing to 30-40 persons from the system who probably had integrity problems. The judges who are corrupt, who were caught red-handed while committing acts of corruption should be held accountable. The judges regarded this pre-vetting as a hope. Data show that 28 judges registered for pre-vetting. I was one of the active judges who sincerely believed that the political class wants an authentic justice sector reform. But only 12 candidates from civil society registered for pre-vetting for six posts. Do you imagine what big expectations the judicial branch had of this pre-vetting? Twenty-eight candidates applied for six posts, which is a very large number,” Ion Chirtoacă stated in the program “Résumé” on RliveTV channel, noting that civil society not the judges feared this pre-vetting.
Judge Angela Bostan said the judges are discredited and lose the people’s trust when they are unjustly labeled as corrupt or as lacking integrity.
“When we speak about corrupt judges, how many conviction sentences against judges do we have? These labels “corrupt judges” and “judges without integrity” were too widely used and manipulated in society. This was proven by pre-vetting when millions, luxury homes and yachts were being looked for. What did they find? Sums of money earned by parents and sent to the Republic of Moldova. The rises in the salaries of judges were rather rumored than implemented. Currently, the judge of an ordinary court gets a salary of 12,000-13,000 lei. Was this salary adjusted to the salaries of judges from the neighboring countries? The financial motivation should be sufficiently equitable in the current economic conditions in the country,” stated Angela Bostan.
The PAS government launched the procedure for assessing the integrity and professionalism of judges and prosecutors in Moldova. The pre-vetting covers the candidates for the posts of member of the Superior Council of Magistracy and of the Superior Council of Prosecutors, while the vetting procedure implies the assessment of judges and prosecutors from the system.
