Parliament endorses draft law on prosecutor's office

The Parliament endorsed the draft law on the prosecutor's office, in the first reading, Thursday. The draft was voted only by the Communists (PCRM), and criticized by the Moldova Noastra Alliance (AMN), Info-Prim Neo reports. General prosecutor Valeriu Gurbulea says the draft pursues to approximate the legislation on the prosecutors to the Moldova-EU Action Plan. According to the draft, the General Prosecutor's office will deal with penal searching and will represent the state as accusers. Self-administration boards will be set up: the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP), the Disciplinary College and the Qualification College. In Gurbulea's view, they will strengthen the independence of the prosecutors' corps, since the college bodies will take over a series of powers from the general prosecutor. AMN parliamentarian Ion Plesca says the draft contains many drawbacks and far from Moldova's European aspirations. “It's draft with classic traits of a totalitarian regime,” he said. According to him, the draft is presented 13 years later only to fulfill a commitment before the EU and not from the sincere will to reform the prosecution system. “The draft proposes that the Procuratura remains an autonomous institution, in the old Soviet style, representing the state, not the law,” Plesca said. The Communist Anatolie Zagorodnai praised the draft. According to him, the Government chose the best way to reform the prosecution system, harmoniously combining the innovating spirit with the traditions of the Moldovan judiciary system. The draft is to be examined in final reading next week. Democratic Party leader Dumitru Diacov suggested the MPs to let the future Legislature to adopt the law. “This very important law has been awaited for 13 years. And now the Parliament has to adopt it in two readings within 10 days, too short a term, since the Venice Commission and the deputies have scores of objections,” Diacov argued. His proposal however was rejected by the Communist majority.