Pre-Vetting Commission concludes mandate: 26 of 69 candidates pass integrity assessment

The activity of the independent Commission for evaluating the integrity of candidates for membership in the self-governing bodies of judges and prosecutors officially ended on 10 February 2026, with the publication of the final mandate report, after almost four years of work.

The Pre-Vetting Commission was established by Law No. 26/2022, adopted in March 2022, and began its work in April of the same year. According to the data included in the report, 67 candidates were evaluated by September 2023, and another two candidates by late December 2023.

Initially, 23 candidates passed the assessment and 46 did not. Following appeals lodged with the Supreme Court of Justice, 22 re-evaluations were carried out between September 2023 and November 2024, and a second round of re-evaluations took place between September 2024 and February 2025. At the end of the process, out of a total of 69 candidates evaluated, 26 passed and 43 did not.

The Commission’s mandate ended in November 2025, after the issuance of the Supreme Court of Justice’s final decision on repeated evaluations.

In its final report, the Commission presents statistical data on its activity, as well as the challenges encountered. They include a constant staff shortage, the large volume of information collected and analyzed from public and private institutions, limited cooperation from some candidates, and the length of time courts took to examine appeals, which frequently exceeded six months. The members of the Commission also note that they were periodically subjected to smear campaigns.

As a result of the extraordinary vetting process, the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors are now composed of members who have passed the evaluation and are fully functional, thus achieving the main objective of the reform.

The Commission further emphasizes that the assessments have contributed to raising awareness among judges and prosecutors about compliance with financial integrity and ethical standards, as well as to strengthening the understanding of these standards within society. According to the report’s conclusions, these results represent a step toward aligning the Republic of Moldova with European Union standards in the the rule of law.

The final report is available in Romanian and English.