President: Moldova has not passed critical threshold of justice reform. 2026 - decisive for system’s credibility

Justice reform remains a major priority for 2026, and the extraordinary external evaluation of judges must continue. President Maia Sandu made the statement at a press conference held on 22 January, in which the head of state outlined the priorities for this year.

Maia Sandu emphasized that the Republic of Moldova has not yet passed the critical threshold of justice reform and there are still internal and external forces trying to undermine the process. According to the President, what will happen this year is decisive for the credibility of the justice system and citizens’ trust in reforms.

“Justice reform priorities for 2026, as you know, must include the continuation of the extraordinary external evaluation process. At the end of last year, I requested the expansion of the list of judges who must undergo this evaluation, based on several cases of delays in handling important files – cases that are on the public agenda and where we see delays of 8–9–10–11 years, clear cases where judges are not doing their job and are jeopardizing correct decisions on these cases,” Maia Sandu stated.

The head of state warned that the Republic of Moldova is still in a critical phase of justice reform, and attempts to stop this process aim at keeping corrupt individuals within the system. She called for vigilance from the authorities, journalists, and citizens. “There are still internal and external forces that want to compromise the reform, want to stop it, that want to keep corrupt people in the system, people they want to use, to bribe, knowing that they are outside the law and they will not be sanctioned when they break the law. We must remain vigilant – we, you, and the citizens; we cannot say that we have passed the most important threshold in this reform. What will happen this year is very important for the credibility of the justice system and for citizens’ trust in the reforms we are implementing,” the President underlined.

Regarding the creation of the Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Prosecution Office (PACO), Maia Sandu declared that the authorities are not rushing to make a decision, taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission. The President specified that it is necessary to complete the extraordinary external evaluation process both at the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and at the PCCOCS, since both institutions are targeted by the reform.

“Let us see how many prosecutors we will have in these institutions after the evaluation and, based on that, decide how we move forward in order to strengthen the capacity to fight corruption, especially high-level corruption and organized crime,” Maia Sandu said.

The head of state stressed that the authorities’ objective is to create one or two strong institutions capable of delivering real results.

“Two weak institutions are not a solution. What matters is to have strong institutions and the certainty that honest people and good professionals work there,” she pointed out.

Maia Sandu held a press conference on 22 January, where she presented the priorities for 2026 and answered journalists’ questions.