Prosecutor General Corneliu Gurin said the legislation of Moldova does not differentiate between small- and large-scale corruption and does not define high-level corruption. There were made a number of innovatory or even revolutionary changes in the given area, including the introduction of regulations concerning extended confiscation and criminalization of unjust enrichment. “It’s only half a year since these regulations came into force. It’s rather hard to implement them, but we move on,” Corneliu Gurin said in an interview for Radio Free Europe, quoted by IPN.
According to Corneliu Gurin, it’s hard to apply the regulations because there are a number of interpretations. “During over 20 years, there had been no coherent approach to the so-called unjust enrichment of functionaries. A revolution today is evidently not possible. It’s very difficult to prove. Furthermore, there are particular interpretations as to how to apply this law because it, in a way, toughens up punishment for deeds that were earlier not penalized,” he stated.
He noted that if we speak about small-scale corruption fighting, the new regulations concerning the testing of integrity already started to produce results. “Since the Law on the Testing of Integrity took effect, 49 reports about active corruption attempts by employees of the Ministry of the Interior, the Customs Service, the State Tax Service, the Land Agency and the local public administration and by judges have been submitted to the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anticorruption Center. Earlier, there were no such reports,” said the prosecutor general.
Corneliu Gurin also said that corruption affects the whole society. “From formal viewpoint, the fighting of corruption, even if it’s a priority, didn’t become a less worrisome element for the people. Corruption became deep-rooted in society and affected too much people’s morality. A lot of the Moldovans accept to take part in acts of corruption. Corruption represents a transaction between at least two entities and those who represent the state are not always those who ask for bribe,” he stated, adding that the people, when they break the law or want to achieve certain goals, often offer bribe.
