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Vitalie Cojocari: In 2015, we must fill the prisons with corrupt officials


https://www.ipn.md/index.php/en/vitalie-cojocari-in-2015-we-must-fill-the-prisons-with-7978_1017530.html

Moldova's main task in 2015 is to fight corruption among high-ranking officials. Vitalie Cojocari, Moldovan journalists working in the Pro TV Bucharest news team, told IPN that many corrupt dignitaries must be arrested in order for the country to move in the right direction.

“When IPN asked me what will be the most important in Moldova in 2015, I realized that it's neither the formation of the Cabinet, nor the local elections. After the ballot in November 2014, when the country oscillated between East and West, between past and future, between Russian and the EU, it became clear that out country needed an important event to put it on the right path – towards Brussels, obviously via Bucharest. If this event doesn't happen as soon as possible, not later than 2015, then I'm afraid that at the next elections we won't be able to choose the right direction”, said the author of the blog cojocari.ro.

Cojocari is speaking about arrests. “Many, lots of arrests. If we want to save democracy, to save Moldova's European course, we have to unleash the justice”, writes the journalist. He wants Moldova to have a similar institution like the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and labeled the current National Anticorruption Center in Chisinau a make-believe. “We need to gather young and hard-working prosecutors, well-paid, trained in Bucharest, and then to give them free rein to prosecute. These young men should have no mother or father and should fear only the law. Their phones shouldn't ring continuously and politicians shouldn't be able to influence them. People don't trust words anymore. Moldovans are sick of corruption”, stressed the journalist.

He is impressed with the arrests operated by Romania's DNA. “I've witnessed them with my own eyes. All those who seemed invincible and untouchable are now in jail. I'm a journalist in Bucharest. I should be hard to surprise, but what has happened over the last 3-4 years seems like a movie. I'm sure that the politicians, footballers, ministers, high dignitaries and rich business people fully realized how serious this is only after finding themselves in their cells. The result of these arrests? Now, the Romanian civil servants are scared. They aren't scared only about jail, they are scared that their accounts will be frozen and part of their assets will be confiscated”, explained Cojocari.

The journalists wants to temper his optimism, but thinks that Romania will reap both economic and political advantages and will regain its self-esteem after seeing so many corrupt people jailed. “In 2015, I want to see arrests in Moldova. It's the most important event that can happen in my country. Everything must begin from the upper group, from the leaders. Of course, there is corruption in higher houses, in the West, but there they don't steal by force and shamelessly and then hide it in off-shore zones. Moldova has to being 2015 with the question “to be or not to be?” regarding the fight against corruption. Everything falls to this. High-level corruption in economy = poor Moldovans. High-level corruption in medicine = sick Moldovans. High-level corruption in justice = threatened Moldovans. High-level corruption in education = stupid Moldovans. I apologize for the harshness of my words, but this is the truth”, said Vitalie Cojocari.

According to Cojocari, corruption is Moldovan's main enemy and the main threat to the existence of the country. The best antidote, according to him, is to start the arrests.