Corruption in the legal system distorts the role of justice in society, which is that of guarantor of the basic rights and fundamental freedoms, Judge Camelia Bogdan, of the Bucharest Appeals Court, said in an interview for Radio Free Europe. According to her, if we encourage the type of dishonest, aggressive judge who is unable to recognize the value of legal or moral norms, we contribute to incompetence. The judge called on the Moldovan authorities to try and fight corruption, including in this system, IPN reports.

“You must identify the causes that lead to or perpetuate corruption in the legal system so as to regain the people’s confidence. Maybe there are particular influences from the political or executive spheres,” said the judge.

Camelia Bogdan considers the judges must realize their role in society. “Maybe the negligence and poor training are due to the absence of a real continuous formation process. The law must not and should not be placed above justice. Justice does not derive from the law. It is the law that derives from justice. We need not simple justice, but just justice. Form my viewpoint, the role of the judge in society is to implement the law,” she stated.

The Romanian judge called upon the Moldova authorities to make effort to fight corruption that exists in the judicial system as well. “You should try to combat it by improving the morality of judges, with emphasis on the educational factor and on the improvement of the economic conditions in which the judges work so as to reduce the economic stimuli to commit particular acts,” stated Camelia Bogdan.

The judge noted that the lack of moral probity must not be necessarily looked for in corruption. This can be due to judges’ certainty that they will not be caught and held countable as the cases are hushed up. If there are judges who cannot justify their living conditions, these should be penalized in accordance with the law.