Oleg Efrim: A responsible government doesn't pardon criminals just because it's holiday

“My firm belief is that a responsible government doesn't pardon offenders only because it's holiday. Amnesty acts should be well-thought, predict the impact that they may produce in society and contribute ultimately to the realization of the state's punitive policy”, Justice Minister Oleg Efrim wrote on his blog. Defending his recent decision to reject a general amnesty decree inked by acting President Marian Lupu, Oleg Efrim regretted that some wrongly attributed it to personal differences with Lupu. “I will insist on the fact that the excessive application of pardons negatively impacts on the people's collective consciousness and legal culture. The authority of the law must not be compromised and the rule of the law must not be annihilated”, argued Oleg Efrim. Efrim further stated that the President's intention to pardon 600 convicts ahead of Moldova's 20 years of Independence was all the more inopportune since society has been alarmed by a recent rise in crime rates. Earlier, acting President Marian Lupu said he would invite Oleg Efrim to discuss the issue, hoping Efrim was acting on his own and not as a “mere cat's paw”.