Prosecution should be freed from political influence, NGO
The penal procedure should be reformed as neither society nor those in the legal system are satisfied with the way the criminal investigations are conducted, the head of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption (CAPC) Galina Bostan has told Info-Prim Neo.
Galina Bostan said there are important problems concerning the independence of the criminal prosecution bodies as the people can be anytime followed by someone’s order. “In the Communist period, criminal cases were opened at request. The people should know that if they leave a correct life and do not break the law, they can sleep peacefully,” said the Center’s head.
According to her, the quality of the prosecution is a problem also because a number of prosecution bodies are empowered to examine one and the same offense. Thus, there is competition. A lot of offenses are initially classed in a way, but then a classed differently, usually in a milder way, when they get to court. “Every institution says that it did not do it and vice versa. There is a kind of ping-pong between institutions,” said Galina Bostan.
She also said that there must be created mechanisms whereby the prosecution bodies should be obliged to obey only the law, not political orders.
The strategy worked out by the working group for the reform of the penal procedure contains 26 proposals. Earlier, the proposals were discussed at public debates. The bill on the reform of the penal procedure is to be soon submitted to Parliament for examination and adoption.
The Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Corruption is a public association that aims to contribute to reducing corruption in Moldova to a level that would not affect the rights and freedoms of the people, and to carry out effciient public monitoring of the work of the state bodies.