Moldovan investigative journalists and law-enforcers get chance to jointly fight corruption

Moldovan investigative journalists and law-enforcers get the chance to jointly fight corruption cases due to the “Journalists against corruption” campaign, part of the Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring Capacity in Moldova Program, funded by the US Government through the Millennium challenge Corporation. The drive was launched on Thursday, May 8, at a news conference, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the president of the Investigative Journalism Center, Cornelia Cozonac, the campaign's goal is to strengthen journalists in carrying out professional investigations on subjects related to corruption and to cooperate with the law-enforcing bodies. It is known that a journalist is in big difficulty when trying to investigate such cases, being hindered by both the inadequate legislation, and by representatives of the law-enforcing bodies. Thus, getting together, the journalists and the law-enforcing bodies could make progress in the difficult work of discovering corrupted people, she says. During the campaign , the Investigative Journalism Center will build up a network of investigative reporters throughout Moldova withijn which experienced journalists will investigate, together with their colleagues from areas, concrete cases of corruption. Cornelia Cozonac maintains they will further monitor the cases uncovered and written about in order to test the reaction of the law-enforcing bodies as to the data offered by the media. This is going to be done because many cases notified by citizens, or written about by journalists, are not paid any heed on behalf the ones having to probe them. The representative of the Economic Crimes and Corruption Combating Center (ECCCC), Victor Colev, maintains any case mirrored by media is considered by the Center, but it is necessary to have a closer cooperation. At the same time, Colev hopes the published journalistic investigations could influence courts, which most often than not cancel the corruption suits or only fine the guilty. Out of 315 files lodged by the ECCCC with the Court last year, no person was sentenced. The participants in the launch of the media campaign – Journalists against corruption -- say mirroring corruption cases will help the citizens to become more active, not to tolerate corruption acts and to ask the authorities for concrete action. The drive Journalists against corruption, part of the Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring Capacity in Moldova program, is implemented by the Academy for Educational Development, with the technical support of the International Rsearch & Exchanges Board.