The Parliament’s legal commission for appointments and immunities on Monday holds parliamentary hearings on a criminal case started over acts of corruption against the current member of the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) Iulian Muntean, IPN reports.
Iulian Muntean was named SCM member from among non-judges by Parliament on September 7. He is a lawyer and earlier taught at a number of universities in Moldova.
On September 20, it became known that SCM member Iulian Muntean is investigated for passive corruption. He doesn’t deny the fact that he was accused in a criminal case started in 2018. Apparently, he didn’t inform the pre-vetting commission of this and didn’t present evidence showing that he attempted to find out at what stage the case is now.
Following those reports, Iulian Muntean said the so-called criminal case was fabricated by order of the regime of Plahotniuc as an intimidation method. This case wasn’t indicated in any of the databases managed by the state institutions or the pre-vetting commission would have learned about it.
Last Friday, the Superior Council of Magistracy issued a statement, demanding that Iulian Muntean should resign as SCM member.
Minister of Justice Veronica Mihailov-Moraru made a similar request, arguing Iulian Muntean, who was recently appointed by Parliament, didn’t inform that he was investigated in a case of corruption.
In a post on social media later, Iulian Muntean said that he will probably render his resignation to the Parliament’s Secretariat so as not to discredit the SCM’s work.
The hearings start at 11am and are held in the Parliament’s Europa Hall.
