Amendments to law on prosecution approved in second reading by Moldovan parliament

Chisinau, 17 September /MOLDPRES/- The draft law providing for the amendment of the mechanism for appointing the General Prosecutor was approved by parliament in the second reading with the vote of 55 MPs. The decision was taken on 16 September after 10 pm.

Under the new provisions, the appointment of the General Prosecutor by the President of the country will be made at the proposal of the Superior Council of Prosecutors among candidates proposed by a Commission set up by the Ministry of Justice.

If the president rejects the candidacy, CSP shall return the list of candidates to the competition commission. Following removal of alleged infringements, the Commission may submit the same list or another list of candidates among those who have submitted applications for the contest or may decide to resume pre-selection of candidates.

At the same time, the draft sees that the termination of the Prosecutor General’s mandate takes place by the decree of the President of the Republic of Moldova, at the proposal of the CSP.

After voting on the project in second reading, Prime Minister Maia Sandu announced that the contest for the selection of the candidate for the position of General Prosecutor launched on August 9 by the CSP has been stopped. "The moment when we will be able to breathe with relief and hope that Moldova has a worthy General Prosecutor is still far away. But today a huge step has been taken! Voting in two readings of the amendments to the Law of the Prosecutor's Office, in the formula proposed by the government, shows that we have courage, arguments and motivation to dismantle, brick by brick, the system built by Plahotniuc in justice. The CSP contest was stopped. People want real reform, they are waiting for new hard actions and today we delivered the first part ”, Sandu said.

The Democratic Party of Moldova has announced that it will appeal to the Constitutional Court the amendments to the Law on the Prosecutor's Office.

The position of prosecutor general remained vacant on 11 July after Eduard Harunjen resigned. Currently, the interim function is provided by Dumitru Robu.