Police officer enters Anticorruption Rankings for first time

For the first time, a police officer was included in the Anticorruption Rankings compiled by the newspaper Ziarul de Garda on the basis of readers’ nominations. Prosecution officer Irina Ciumac entered the rankings because she refused to take 7,000 lei bribe for closing a criminal case. The prizes were handed over at the Museum of History in Chisinau on December 21 in the evening, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ziarul de Garda director Alina Radu said the event is dedicated to those who courageously fight corruption and has been organized since 2004. The previous rankings included only one former employee of the Ministry of the Interior. Irina Ciumac, who works for the Buiucani police commissariat, said it is honorable to fight corruption and urged her colleagues to behave properly in such cases. Among the awardees of 2010 were the editor-in-chief of the paper “Plaiul Orheiului” Vasile Roman, who unearthed illegal schemes used to privatize the Tiganca forests; clerk of the Causeni Court Valentina Caciur, who reported cases of corruption inside the court, and Vera Esanu, a Chisinau resident who reported most of the cases of corruption in state institutions in 2010. The rankings also include caricaturist Ion Matu, who produced an album with caricatures representing acts of bribery and corruption. The same evening, there were handed over the prizes “Omul de Garda” (“Man on Guard”) to persons selected in October – December. Lawyer Tatiana Catan, one of the awardees, said that she is pleased and that during the last years she defended in court the rights of many persons. Other awardees include the teacher of music Valeriu Chiperi, lawyer Natalia Molosag, sculptor Valentin Vartosu. The prizes “Omul de Garda” are awarded with the aim of encouraging the people to defend human rights. The event was organized in partnership with Transparency International Moldova, the National Museum of Archeology and History of Moldova, and a commercial organization.