Moldovan Judges' Evaluation Commission completes evaluation of all judges with leadership positions

The Judges’ Evaluation Commission has completed the evaluation of all magistrates who hold or have held leadership positions in courts over the past five years. Thus, the Commission today submitted the last evaluation reports concerning magistrates Angela Catana and Corneliu Guzun to the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM).

Following the evaluation of judge Angela Catana, former acting vice president of the Chisinau Court, Buiucani seat, the Commission found that the criteria of financial integrity were not met. Consequently, the evaluation report contains a proposal not to pass the external evaluation.

The same conclusion was reached in the case of judge Corneliu Guzun, former vice president of the Chisinau Court, Rascani seat, given the non-compliance with the criteria of financial integrity and ethics.

The relevant facts and reasons underlying the Commission’s conclusions are set out in the reports sent to the evaluated subjects and to the CSM. At this stage, the reports do not produce legal effects. The CSM is to decide whether to accept or reject them. The evaluation results are available on the Commission’s website, and the reports will be published after the expiry of the legal time limit for appeal or, as the case may be, after the delivery of a final judgment by the Supreme Court of Justice.

In May last year, the Commission received for evaluation 24 judges who hold or have held the position of president or vice president of a court, or have served as acting holders of these positions in the last five years.

After notification on the initiation of the evaluation procedure, 10 of the 24 judges resigned. Seven out of the 14 who completed the evaluation process in full passed the external evaluation and seven did not. In two non-passing cases, the CSM ordered a re-evaluation and the procedures are ongoing.