Moldova's Superior Council of Prosecutors accepts evaluation report concerning former head of Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office; decision can be challenged at Supreme Court of Justice

The Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP) today accepted, with the votes of five members, the evaluation report issued by the Prosecutors' Evaluation Commission regarding Veronica Dragalin, with the application of the prohibition to hold the position of prosecutor and other public dignity positions for a period of five years. The decision was made in response to the request of the former head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office to reject the commission's vetting report.

The CSP decision will be sent to the interim general prosecutor, in order to ensure the appropriate administrative procedures.

At the same time, the National Integrity Authority will be informed about the prohibition applied to Veronica Dragalin to hold the position of prosecutor and other public dignity positions for five years.

The CSP decision can be contested at the Supreme Court of Justice by Veronica Dragalin or the Evaluation Commission within 15 days after receipt of the CSP decision by email.

On June 13, the B Panel of the Prosecutors' Evaluation Commission ruled to cease the procedure of evaluation of the former head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Veronica Dragalin, following her resignation from office. Thus, the evaluation report indicates that Veronica Dragalin did not pass the vetting.

The evaluation regarding Veronica Dragalin was initiated on May 24, 2024, when she was notified and asked to submit a declaration of assets and personal interests for the last 5 years, including the list of close individuals in the judiciary, prosecution, and public service systems, as well as a questionnaire regarding ethical integrity.

Veronica Dragalin submitted the requested documents within the established deadline. The commission analyzed the collected information and asked for additional clarifications, to which Dragalin responded in about one month and a half, citing personal reasons.

On February 19, 2025, Veronica Dragalin submitted her resignation, and on March 4, 2025, her mandate ended.

Dragalin was appointed as the head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office on August 1, 2022, and resigned in the context of a draft law being registered, that provides for the merger of specialized prosecutor's offices and the creation of a new institution - the Prosecutor’s Office for Anti-Corruption and Combating Organized Crime (PACCO).