The Republic of Moldova needs other jurisdictions to work with its law enforcement bodies. It will progress in the fight against corruption when countries no longer harbor fugitive criminals and assets stolen from other states, President Maia Sandu stated in the International Anticorruption Conference 2022 that was held in Washington, IPN reports.

According to the official, Moldova needs a major transformation to make sure that established democracies will not allow criminals or stolen money to feel safe in their jurisdictions. Loopholes are increasingly closed.

“When such strong political will exists in a country’s leadership, the international community should be able to recognize it quickly, and be ready to move fast to fully support it. Such political opportunities should not be missed. Our democracy is becoming stronger. This year’s Global State of Democracy report highlights Moldova as “'a bright spot for democracy on the map of Europe”. Moldova is in the top quarter of countries for representative government, equality and social rights. Last year, Moldova went up 49 positions in the Press Freedom Index to rank 40th in the world,” stated President Sandu.

She welcomed the decision of the US Government to add to its sanctions’ lists two notorious crooks and key organizers of the bank fraud, who are hiding abroad from Moldovan justice. “Ending their ability to freely use stolen funds is a huge step towards bringing them to justice. I call on other countries to follow this lead.”

“Joint work between our law enforcement agencies will send a clear signal that there is no place where ill-gotten gains could be hidden. Other jurisdictions should make proactive disclosures and, when possible, start their own investigations.

“And in addition to providing help to our law enforcement institutions, our partners sometimes should put additional resources domestically for their law enforcement bodies to better respond to mutual legal assistance requests for cooperation,” noted the Moldovan official.