Tarlev scolds MoJ for inadequate judgment enforcement

Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev has criticised the activity of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), in particular of the Judgment Enforcement Department, which, according to him, is responsible for tainting the image of the Government and of the entire country, Info-Prim Neo reports. “It’s rather strange the way the employees of this department work. When a judgment orders the forcible taking of money from public bodies, their accounts are arrested in a flash. But when it comes to serving the state’s interest or mediating a dispute between two economic entities, they fool around. Their duty is to execute but not to recreate”, the Premier said during Wednesday’s Government meeting. He told MoJ that all the judgments must be enforced integrally, noting that the number of cases lost by Moldova at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2007 was inadmissibly high. Tarlev requested that every ECHR decision and every complaint filed by Moldovan citizens be studied. The Premier has also instructed the Ministry of Justice to make every effort to settle all the claims in an amiable manner before they reach the ECHR. In addition, within 10 days after Moldova loses a suit at the ECHR, the Ministry of Justice is to submit to the Premier an explanatory note indicating the ones to blame for Moldova’s defeat in court. The Ministry must also assess the harm brought to Moldova’s image. So far, Moldova lost over 100 cases at the ECHR, including about 60 cases in 2007. In 2007 alone it was obliged to pay damages totalling over 1.7 million euros.