National strategy for corruption prevention and combating has been modified

The Parliament on December 27 introduced amendments to the national strategy for corruption prevention and combating. The amendment bill was criticised by Opposition MPs, but backed by the Communists. A number of new stipulations have been introduced in the national strategy and the plan of action for implementing it. A database of legal entities punished and fined for criminal conduct will be set up and activated in 2008. Among other steps stipulated are: to consider the opportunity of working out measures to improve the reporting of corruption suspicions; to implement the informational system for recording persons with disability degrees; to conduct investigations aimed at discovering and preventing corruption acts in the penitentiary system, including by carrying out planned and unexpected inspections; to inform prosecution bodies about corruption cases among notaries and lawyers. The bill stipulates the necessity of studying the ECHR case law as regards evidence collected in corruption cases and of notifying the relevant authorities. Alexandru Lipcan, MP of the Moldova Noastra Alliance Party (AMN), said the bill lacks essence and continues the series of formalities that the Government submitted to the Parliament in order “to complete its mark-as-done list”. AMN proposed rejecting the Government’s initiative, abrogating the present legal framework altogether and replacing it with a new corruption combating plan. At the same time, Vadim Misin, representative of the Communist faction, said that the MPs must propose amendments if they want to modify the bill. He stated that the Government presented a report on the activities aimed at combating corruption and the Opposition MPs should study it before leveling criticism. The national strategy for corruption prevention and combating was adopted on December 16, 2004.