Some judges do not meet the requirements of the job, Higher Magistrates’ Council says

Some judges and clerks to the court display negligence, reckless disregard and behaviour that is inappropriate for their positions, stated Nicolae Clima, Head of the Higher Magistrates’ Council (HMC), at the annual meeting of judges, Info-Prim Neo reports. Clima brought several examples that were intended to prove that the some judges indulge in inappropriate behaviours. According to the cited source, some judges were sanctioned and others dismissed. HMC will continue to penalise those judges who will disobey the law. Speaking about the actions taken by the Council for strengthening Moldova’s judiciary, Clima mentioned the improvement of the justice making process and the respect for the conduct standards for carrying out an impartial and fair justice. The main problems of the judicial system are, in the opinion of the HMC, the overloading of judges with cases and materials, the insufficient financing, lack of personnel in courts and others. During his speech, the chairman of the Supreme Court of Justice, Ion Muruianu, mentioned about the cases of weak training of the judges for performing their duties. Deputy Minister of Justice Elena Mocanu said that judges should be open to change. No positive results can be achieved without consensus, Mocanu added. “Because justice is an essential necessity, citizens have great expectations. They expect efficiency, promptness and clearness. Therefore, judges should pronounce fair and reasoned judgments”, Elena Mocanu stated. The deputy minister also referred to the high level of corruption in the field, saying that the corrupt ones should be “eliminated from the system”. The independence and functionality of the Moldovan justice are considered to be one of the greatest deficiencies in executing the EU-Moldova Action Plan. This was recognised by both international and national experts and, more recently, by the representatives of the government. At the same time, the opposition asserts that this situation is mostly the consequence of the control of the ruling party over the judges.