In a country based on the rule of law, irreversible judicial decisions are binding and must be complied with, says Anticorruption Chief Prosecutor Veronica Dragalin. The remark comes after the Supreme Court overturned the no-pass results in the case of 21 judges and prosecutors that underwent the pre-vetting procedure.
“We are prosecutors and we work in the justice system. Even if there are things we don’t agree with, if the law allows us to challenge a decision that we think is wrong, we challenge it. But if we have exhausted all avenues until an irreversible decision is reached, then we are bound to comply with it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be living in a country based on the rule of law (…) For me it is important to observe the reasoned decisions of judges. In the end, the law allows the Supreme Court to examine the process applied by the pre-vetting commission and make conclusions”, Veronica Dragalin told a program on N4.
Dragalin’s comments are at variance with remarks voiced earlier by top government officials. After the Supreme Court canceled the pre-vetting results, Prime Minister Dorin Recean called the Supreme Court judges “a corrupt minority”, while President Maia Sandu denounced the decisions as “illegal”.
“My position may differ from those of the current or future governments. I do not report to the president or Parliament. I’m serving a five-year term, and if someone else comes to power, I will stay to serve it. (…) We live in a free society and we have the right to express our opinions freely. I will continue to voice my opinion objectively, as a prosecutor. We are an apolitical institution, a completely different branch of the state”, declared the anticorruption chief prosecutor.
