Veronica Mihailov-Moraru: “Moldova’s European course depends on justice reform and the fight against corruption”

20 September 2023, Chisinau – Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru participated in the fifth edition of the Forum “Reforming Justice and Fighting Corruption”, where she discussed with justice actors, representatives of civil society and development partners the reforms initiated in the justice system and the stage they are at, as well as the challenges faced by the authorities.

In the first panel discussion: “External evaluation of justice and reform of the Supreme Court of Justice”, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru spoke about the three stages of reform: pre-vetting, reform of the SCJ and vetting.

“The extraordinary external evaluation of judges and prosecutors is one of the most important commitments undertaken by the Republic of Moldova in the process of European integration, but also a basic pillar in the Development Strategy on the Justice Sector, adopted by the Parliament. As a result of this exercise, we must have a justice system with honest, upright, independent people working in the interest of citizens”, said Minister Mihailov-Moraru.

In this context, the Minister of Justice stressed that justice reform is not done overnight and it is not healthy for the system. On the contrary, the laws must be harmoniously integrated into the legal system, and must be understood and applied correctly by justice actors.

Veronica Mihailov-Moraru also mentioned that, in some places, reform is still slow, including because of resistance in the system. Despite this, things are moving forward. The second stage of the reform – the evaluation of judges and candidates for the Supreme Court of Justice – is currently underway and should be completed faster than the first stage – pre-vetting.

“This evaluation mechanism will not immediately solve all the problems in the judiciary. But we believe that with the formation of the self-administration bodies of judges and prosecutors, their inspectorates and colleges, things will change for the better and citizens will feel the positive results of the changes,” Minister Mihailov-Moraru added.

In the second panel discussion: “Effective investigation and sanctioning of corruption”, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru spoke about the efforts of the Ministry of Justice in the fight against corruption – another commitment made by our country in the EU integration process.

Work is currently underway to amend legislation so that anti-corruption institutions have all the necessary mechanisms, powers and resources to effectively investigate corruption cases. The competences of the National Anti-Corruption Centre and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have been defined. The law on special investigative measures is to be adopted in second reading, which will strengthen the AP, which has the task of investigating cases of grand corruption.

“As I have mentioned time and again, the economic development of the country, the growth and attraction of investments, the modernisation of infrastructure, respect for human rights and freedoms, the well-being of citizens and, last but not least, the European course of the Republic of Moldova depend on the reform of justice and the fight against corruption”, concluded Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru.