More space is freed for radical reformation of prosecution service, experts

The restoration of confidence in the prosecution service is absolutely necessary. There is a framework where this process started and more space is freed for a radical reform that will take less into account the wishes of a corporation of prosecutors and will meet certain requirements, related first of all to the adjustment to the European systems, consider two experts from Chisinau. Viorel Cibotaru, director of the European Institute for Political Studies in Moldova, believes that the prosecution service should be transferred to the Ministry of Justice, while the persons who discredited themselves or who are suspected of involvement in antisocial schemes should be removed from the service. “The changes should be made by May, when the negotiations on the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU are to close and when a decision concerning the monitoring of Moldova is to be taken,” the expert has told Info-Prim Neo. According to him, the incident in the Domneasca Forest didn’t affect the people’s trust in the prosecution service. On the contrary, this incident revealed the rottenness of the political class. The people understood that the reforms in this field cannot be delayed. Sergiu Ostaf, director of the Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO), said the representatives of civil society worked out a set of essential principles for reforming the prosecution service. One of them is to depoliticize the procedure for naming the prosecutors and judges and ensure the participation of the Supreme Council of Prosecutors and civil society in this process. “The movement of a criminal case should be visible. When the trial is suspended or stopped, the prosecution service should inquire why it was done,” said Sergiu Ostaf. According to him, the prosecutors should report to Parliament when a case is stagnant and this is a very important aspect. There should be also instituted a system for ensuring the work of every prosecutor logistically, administratively and legally. “We cannot tolerate situations when an ordinary prosecutor must ask for permission from the prosecutor general for allocating money for creating a commission. This points to the logistic dependence of the prosecutor,” said the CReDO director. Sergiu Ostaf stressed that all the provisions formulated by civil society must be included in the plan of actions for 2013-2014 and investments should be made in the prosecution service so that the changes start to be implemented. The restoration of confidence in the prosecution service is one of the Government’s priorities for 2013.