Addressing of PM to national institute of justice of Moldova

Chisinau, 29 July /MOLDPRES/ –

TWENTY – THREE.

There have been twenty – three days since I addressed the prosecutors and told them that from that day the Prosecutor's Office (PG) has been independent, free to carry out its mission. Twenty – three days in which 660 prosecutors would have had to enforce the law and react to tens and hundreds of illegalities that the whole country knows. These days, dozens of corruption schemes might have been investigated, by which public money is being stolen and which are jeopardising the national interest.

It was more than enough to understand a very serious issue – the existing prosecutors are not going to do their job. It is clear to all of us that neither in the Prosecutor's Office (PG) nor in the judiciary there is a critical mass of persons which want to clean up the system.

It is clear that we need new prosecutors and judges! How many, enough to reform the system, to change it from the ground. The young people, scholars, integrals. As to replace the most prosecutors and judges, all those corrupt and coward. Are you wondering where to take them? There is an institution in Moldova that prepares judges and prosecutors – it is the National Institute of Justice (INJ).

Well, unfortunately, this institution does not provide justice with a sufficient number of well – trained professionals, integrity specialists. For academic period October 2019 – April 2021, there have been planned only 20 places for judges and 20 ones for prosecutors. Just 20!

We need hundreds of new prosecutors and judges! It is insufficient to have only 20 prosecutors and 20 judges a year in the system in which the system does not want to reform, and we have to replace it in full.

This Institute of Justice was created in 2006, at the insistence and plenary support of the Council of Europe (CE). The purpose of it was the initial training of candidates for the positions of judge and prosecutor, as well as continuous training of prosecutors and judges in office. Unfortunately, this institution has not reached its goal if we look at the catastrophic situation in justice system. Both initial and continuing training are below any standards.

That is why I call for the immediate resignation of the leadership of this Institute. Over time, this institution has hired persons with integrity issues. There is info about bribery practices in the institution, both on admission and graduation. How can we have integral justice when even the Institute teaches future prosecutors and judges the normality of corruption phenomenon?

I call on the Ministry of Justice (MJ) and Ministry of Finance (MF) to identify urgently the legal solutions to increase by 02 or even 03 times the number of persons to be trained for profession of judge and prosecutor right since 2019. If there is no possibility to supplement this number without amending the law, to ask MJ, to prepare urgently the changes to the legal framework. It is also important to ensure that the admission process and final evaluation process are done fairly and transparently.

The training programmes must also be reviewed and improved. We shall have to be also careful who the ones who teach at this institute are. Admittedly, future judges and prosecutors may not be admitted as compromised persons who have discredited the profession of magistrate by executing political orders or making unlawful decisions.

We are aware that the Institute can not train overnight a large number of new and integral prosecutors and judges, and that through these measures the problems in the system will not solve immediately, tomorrow, but we are forced to start today. So that in a few years we have a fair justice that will never allow us capture the state as it had been done in the past.