NGO calls on opposition to become involved in reformation of CCCEC

The national branch of the international anticorruption organization Transparency International (TI) calls upon the opposition to get involved in the reformation of the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime (CCCEC). The restructuring is aimed at freeing the institution from political subordination and at ensuring transparency, TI-Moldova director Lilia Carashchuck said during public debates on the reform of the CCCEC, which involved representatives of civil society and the political class, Info-Prim Neo reports. “We thought the opposition will be the first to react to the reformation strategy, but it wasn’t like that. It did not react and wrote no application,” said Lilia Carashchuck. TI – Moldova expert Efim Obreja said that concrete measures should be taken in order to ensure the independence of the CCCEC, while the reformation process must be correlated with the reform of the police and the justice sector. “We convinced ourselves over time that they want to fight corruption, but not much changes. This means that the institution should be restructured,” Democrat lawmaker Alexandru Stoianoglo said during the debates. His faction colleague Stella Jantuan stressed that practically every person faced a corruption-related problem and this fact makes the population be interested in the success of the reform of the CCCEC. Corneliu Gurin, a representative of the Democratic Action Party, stressed the importance of freeing the CCCEC from political control. “We have a country of relatives and relations. There are close relatives in different parties. If everyone says who their relatives are and what interests they have, the reform of the CCCEC and its activity will go smooth,” said Corneliu Gurin. Liberal-Democrat MP George Mocanu said the reform of the CCCEC is vital, but the reforms were often implemented superficially. “Unfortunately, there is no perfect reformation model. It is hard to find a fix solution. If the CCCEC has to depend on an institution, this institution should enjoy the grates trust of civil society,” he stated. The civil society representative Igor Botan said the institution should regularly report on its activity to the public as this would ensure transparency, while the administration of the CCCEC should be named by Parliament according to a formula that is yet to be set. The public debates were organized by the National NGO Council with the participation of representatives of civil society - CReDO, ADEPT, Transparency International – Moldova - and of the political class.