The first 27 candidates for the post of member of the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) are subject to assessment by the pre-vetting commission. The commission’s chairman Herman von Hebel said the process is difficult and implies the determination of the ratio of the candidate’s incomes to costs and the examination of the information provided by banks and civil society. Owing to the large volume of data that are to be processed, the candidates for SCM member will be assessed the first, while the candidates for member of the Superior Council of Prosecutors (SCP) will be assessed at a subsequent stage, IPN reports.
According to the chairman of the pre-vetting commission, the commission members agreed the regulations based on which the candidates for SCM and SCP members will be assessed. The files of 27 candidates are being examined. The commission members aim to identify eventual discrepancies between candidates’ incomes and the information furnished by banks and the tax authorities.
“We spent several months on organizing the working methods so as to make sure that we have the appropriate assessment standards. We established relations with the authorities of the Republic of Moldova and keep in touch with authorities from outside the country too. Several weeks ago, we started to work with the first group of 27 candidates for SCM member. This is the first group we are assessing. We received their tax returns and now are studying the presented materials. In September, we will conduct the assessment of candidates and decisions will be taken then. The pre-vetting procedure is a unique measure and it should be correct. This procedure will not be repeated in two-three years and we should do everything correctly now. The assessment of the financial, professional and ethical integrity will be solid and detailed,” Herman von Hebel stated in the talk show “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel.
He noted that candidates’ properties situated outside Moldova will also be traced. The assessment procedure in the case of candidates for SCM member could be completed by this yearend.
“The information we obtain comes from different sources, public and private. We get information from banks, from civil society organizations that tell us what they know. We call on the people of the Republic of Moldova to furnish information, to tell us what they know. We have constructive cooperation with public and private institutions. We verify the presented materials to determine their correctness. We are establishing ties with other states. We have contacts with Romania. We will see if we can finish work by the end of this year. We now focus on the SCM and can leave the SCP for a later stage,” said the commission’s chairman.
The assessment (pre-vetting) commission that examines the professionalism and integrity of candidates for and SCP members consists of three members named by parliamentary groups according to the proportionality of seats and three members delegated by the development partners of the Republic of Moldova. Dutch jurist Herman von Hebel heads the commission.
