Head of State calls for continuation and expansion of vetting

The escapes of people under investigation or already convicted before the final sentences are handed down, as well as the slow pace of justice reform remain serious problems in the Republic of Moldova, said President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu.

The head of state stated that the authorities are discussing solutions to prevent defendants from fleeing before conviction, but their implementation depends largely on the decisions of prosecutors and judges.

“I know that discussions have been held with representatives from Parliament, the Government, and the Superior Council of Magistracy, and I understand they will come up with certain proposals. Of course, the solution itself exists, because it is up to the prosecutor and especially the judge to take this risk into account,” Maia Sandu said at a TV show.

The President stressed that the situation is further complicated by the existence of the Transnistrian region, which is not under the control of the constitutional authorities.

“When we have this region in the country where we cannot search for and find convicted persons, we need an extraordinary solution. And we have already had several cases, and it is clear that we need to come up with an extraordinary solution for a situation that is recurring,” the head of state declared.

Asked about possible arrangements or suspicions of corruption in such cases, Maia Sandu acknowledged the existence of systemic problems.

“Sometimes I think it’s the prosecutor’s fault, other times it’s the judge’s fault,” the President said, adding: “We have a system that is still not clean, not even halfway.”

Referring to the vetting process, the head of state noted that it has not yet been applied in the first instance courts, where most of the problems arise.

“We see that the behavior of judges in the first instance courts has not changed. We see the same suspicions of corruption. Of course, not for everyone, but in many cases we see case files postponed indefinitely, for more than ten years, so that the statute of limitations expires,” Maia Sandu stated.

The President advocated for the continuation and expansion of vetting, including until the Supreme Court of Justice is fully staffed. “It is not fair for some judges to get there through vetting and others to pass without vetting,” she said, emphasizing that although the process may create temporary blockages, “there is no solution in avoiding the blockage and keeping corrupt people in the system.”

In the context of justice reform, Maia Sandu acknowledged that the process is difficult and lengthy. “Reform is reform. There is no reform manual,” the President said, noting that the Republic of Moldova initially followed the recommendations of the European Union but had to adjust its approach because the system did not clean itself up.

The head of state also commented on the situation of the new Prosecutor General, who won the competition but has not yet passed the external evaluation.

“As long as we don’t have the result of the vetting, I have nothing to say. If he passes vetting, that will be one thing; if he does not pass, it will be another,” Maia Sandu stated, specifying that she cannot influence the duration of the procedure.

According to the President, the lack of a Prosecutor General with a full mandate is a problem, including in the context of negotiations with the European Union, but the authorities must wait for the completion of the evaluation process.