Socialist Adrian Lebedinschi said he is skeptical about the efficiency of the current government‘s measures aimed at fighting corruption. PAS MP Ana Calinici replied that the PSRM didn’t do anything while it was in power, saying the party now also avoids the corruption fighting sphere. “We invited the whole group to consultations on the law on pre-vetting, but nobody came. You do not come up with amendments or proposals. You only level criticism,” Ana Calinici stated in a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency.
Referring to the organization of the process of assessing the prosecutors and judges, the PAS MP said the assessment commission is to include representatives of the opposition. “We invite you to contribute directly to the fight against corruption,” she said, noting that the recommendations of the Venice Commission will be implemented after the pre-vetting is adopted in the final reading and this will be a first step towards the reformation of justice and the cleaning of the system. The extraordinary assessment of judges and prosecutors will follow then.”
Also, Ana Calinici said the planned restructuring of the National Anticorruption Center will reinvigorate the prosecution bodies in the fight against corruption. “As a result of a thorough analysis of the Center’s work, we will concentrate the efforts of the anticorruption prosecutors on grand corruption. Measures were already taken in other areas too. We made legislative amendments for the National Integrity Authority to be able to function more efficiently, to be able to analyze the lifestyle of state officials too so that these cannot avoid the law... Furthermore, we are making effort to strengthen the state institutions and started to take measures. By the amendments to the Constitution that were adopted after being given two readings, the necessary independence was given to the judicial system – the five-year trial period on the appointment of judges was removed and the composition of the SCM was changed by removing a part of the members.”
As Andrian Lebedinschi, the PAS MP referred to Romania’s experience in rebuilding justice, which shows that improvements are obtained in time.
As to the unfulfilled expectations and the dissatisfaction of voters who brought PAS to power, Ana Calinici said the current government took over a burden that accumulated during 30 years. Besides the exodus of the population, she also noted the lack of solidarity and of cohesion required by the latest challenges, such as the pandemic and the gas crisis, which should be an opportunity for sticking together. “Solidarity is important. On July 11, the citizens gave their vote and each of them can contribute to remedying things in this country, being promoters of reforms. Our message is that everyone should daily contribute to fighting corruption and to building a better environment,” stated the MP.
The public debate titled “Corruption fighting in the Republic Moldova: between objectives, processes and effects” is the 224th installment of the project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is implemented with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
