Moldovan cabinet approves draft on integrity providing for confiscating illegally got wealth

Chisinau, 3 February /MOLDPRES/ - The cabinet of ministers approved a draft law on the National Integrity Centre (CNI) – a part of the legislative package on integrity, at a meeting today. The draft sees including “confiscation of the  unjustified wealth based on a final court decision.”

The set of laws on integrity, which is part of the justice reformation strategy, also includes a draft law on declaring the wealth and interests. Among the important documents, worked out by the Justice Ministry and considered by the government, there is also a draft on the amendment and completion of some legislative acts.  

Under the draft, CNI is an independent public authority, the goal of which is to ensure integrity in exercising the public office and to prevent corruption by carrying out the control of the personal wealth and interests. The centre will have more levers to control the wealth of the officials, in line with the provisions of the UN Convention Against Corruption.   

The CNI leadership will be elected by contest. The head and deputy head will be appointed to office by the Moldovan president, for a five-year mandate. The persons who will get to lead the institution must have the citizenship of Moldova and a labour experience in the justice sector of at least seven years. Also, the person must have an irreproachable reputation and should not be party member. The people who acted as undercover detectives or informers of intelligence services before 1991 cannot run for the office of CNI head or deputy head. Conducerea CNI va fi aleasă prin concurs.

An Integrity Council appointed by the parliament will monitor the CNI’s work, including the organisation of the contest for occupying the office of head and deputy head of CNI, the analysis of the Centre’s annual report. The Council will propose the head of state the appointment and recalling to/from office of the CNI head and deputy head.   

The forms of return and the declaration of interest forms will be checked by integrity inspectors, who will have more autonomy. They will be able, for instance, to access personal data. The draft provides for declaring all the returns gained during one year, which will be compared with the investments and expenditures made in the same period.  

The Justice Ministry also proposes that the officials declare not only the properties they hold in Moldova, but also the ones from abroad. The advisers of all levels, heads of state enterprises, as well as the heads of the stock companies in which the states holds shares, members of the CNI’s council of observers, members of the Superior Council of Magistracy, the staff of the office of the persons holding public offices, etc. will also be obliged to make public their wealth.

Starting from 2018, the forms of returns and the declarations of interests forms will be submitted online.  

The law on the National Integrity Council and the law on declaring the wealth and interests, following the consideration and adoption in parliament, will enter into force in 2016, excepting some provisions.    

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)