Civil society organizations express their profound concern about the President’s decree to discharge Domnica Manole from the post of judge of the Chisinau Appeals Court and call on all the national authorities to ensure the independence of the legal system. A statement signed by about 20 NGOs says the decree points again to selective justice, IPN reports.
Civic society reminds that the Superior Council of Magistracy on July 4 ruled that Manole is incompatible with the post of judge and suggested that President Igor Dodon should dismiss her. The judge challenged the Council’s decision in the Supreme Court of Justice and requested to suspend it until a definitive judgment was passed.
According to the NGOs, the appealing to the Supreme Court of Justice is the only legal way of checking the legality of the decision of the Superior Council of Magistracy. The first hearing was scheduled for August 4, 10am. Judge Manole informed the presidential administration about her challenge, requesting President Dodon not to issue the decree until the Supreme Court pronounced on the issue. However, the decree to dismiss her was signed on July 21 and was published on July 28.
Civil society is concerned about the hurry in which the President issued the decree to dismiss the judge as he earlier waited for the Supreme Court’s decision in similar situations. It called on all the national authorities to ensure the independence of the legal system, which is a pillar of a democratic state with the rule of law.
The statement was signed by INFONET Alliance, Human Rights Embassy, Amnesty International Moldova, ADR Habitat Association, Association of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities of Moldova “European Abilities without Limits”, Women Lawyers Association of Moldova, Association for Efficient and Responsible Governance, think tank “ Expert-Grup”, Journalistic Investigations Center , Legal Resources Center, Partnership for Development Center , WatchDog.MD community, Transparency International Moldova and others.
Last April, Domnica Manole passed a judgment by which the Central Election Commission was obliged to hold the constitutional referendum initiated by the Platform “Dignity and Truth”. The request to the Superior Council of Magistracy to allow investigating the judge was made following the Supreme Court of Justice’s decision that the given judgment was evidently illegal and the then CEC chairman Iurie Ciocan’s request to hold the judge accountable.
