The minister of justice described as an accomplishment the protest mounted by lawyers in front of the Parliament Building on January 21, saying the protest is an indicator of democracy. Sergiu Litvinenco said that by amending the law on advocacy, a balance was reached, the lawyers being offered additional guarantees. At the same time, there was declared zero tolerance of corruption even in the camp of lawyers, IPN reports.
In accordance with the amendments made to the law on advocacy, the lawyers will be detained, searched or arrested only with the consent of the Council of the Lawyers Union, except for cases of passive corruption, active corruption, influence peddling and cases when the person is caught red-handed. The minister said that yesterday’s Parliament decision is in line with the government’s main objective to fight corruption.
“Those guarantees for lawyers concerning searches, detention or arrest were kept, except for cases of corruption. Guarantees exist, but they do not apply to cases of corruption and this is normal. Corruption is the most serious problem in the Republic of Moldova and we cannot allow acts of corruption to be accepted in any of the guilds. Even additional guarantees concerning searches were introduced. In accordance with the law, searches can take place only in the presence of the dean or the representative of the dean,” Sergiu Litvinenco stated in the program “Good Evening” on the public TV channel.
Yesterday, the lawyers protested against the “Stamate” amendment in front of the Parliament Building. According to them, the amendments to the law on advocacy encroach on the independence of the lawyer, leaving room for abuses and arbitrary actions.
“A balance was achieved and I think that this balance will contribute to the more active involvement of the lawyers in the justice process, I’m glad that the lawyers can protest freely, without being afraid that by criticizing the government and protesting against the government, they can be hurt somehow. This is an accomplishment. At least here the good times came,” stated Sergiu Litvinenco.
Under a decision by the Lawyers Union, the lawyers, including those from the state-guaranteed legal aid system, will be on general strike until January 24 and will not work.
