The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) offers US$6 million for implementing the justice sector reform and corruption fighting project (JARA). The project will create excellence standards for the anticorruption institutions, will strengthen the capacities of the National Institute of Justice and will support the Ministry of Justice in its reform efforts. Also, within this new project, the U.S. will support the creation of a mini-secretariat that will help to implement the Ministry of Justice’s Strategy, coordinating the efforts to build a public sector and a justice system free from corruption, IPN reports.
In the launch, U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Kent D. Logsdon said the United States has firmly supported the justice sector in the Republic of Moldova so that this is more efficient, more transparent and more responsible towards the citizens. By launching this project, they continue the partnership with the Government in Chisinau so as to build resistant institutions that correctly and equitably apply the law.
USAID Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Erin McKe said that this project will strengthen the efforts to fight corruption through the agency of strengthened national authorities, through a stronger civil society. “USAID, together with other agencies of the U.S. Government, is ready to offer assistance to the Republic of Moldova in its fight against corruption and in its efforts to form a more efficient and transparent justice system,” stated Erin McKe. That mini-secretariat that is to be created within the project will monitor the implementation of the strategy for ensuring the independence and integrity of the justice sector for 2022-2025. There will also be organized activities to strengthen the capacities of those from the judicial system. Assistance will be provided to the newly formed judicial administration bodies.
Attending the event, President Maia Sandu said that support is needed in the fields of justice and corruption fighting. The results in these areas are regrettably modest despite the existing extraordinary political will. “We will continue the general cleanup in justice and will continue it with you support. We need to further build capacities. We need honest people, but also need professionals. The honest ones should be also good professionals so as to be able to cope with the corruption schemes from the past and to give correct, legal verdicts,” noted the official.
The project with a budget of US$6 million comes to supplement the support provided by USAID Moldova to the judicial system for creating public-friendly courts (Model Court Project) and for assessing the candidates for member of the self-managing bodies of judges and prosecutors (secretariat of the Pre-Vetting Commission).
