Contest for office of head of Moldova's special prosecutor's office might be suspended

Chisinau, 26 January /MOLDPRES/ - The contest for the office of head of the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Causes (PCCOCS), initiated by the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP), might be suspended or cancelled. Justice Minister Sergiu Litvinenco has made statements to this effect.    

„As for the contest for the office of PCCOCS head, initiated by CSP in November 2022 and taking into account the emerged situation, which implies the lack of reliability and the imminent risk of vitiation, I believe that legal solutions must be identified to cancel or suspend the contest. The contest is to be initiated repeatedly or, as the case may be, resumed, when there is a CSP with plenipotentiary mandate, i.e. following the finishing of the pre-vetting exercise,’’ the minister said.   

Iulian Groza, who is member of the special commission for the pre-selection of candidates for the position of PCCOCS head, has recently said that ‘’this contest is hit by vices and the integrity and reliability of the selection process and the results of the contest are affected.’’    

The special commission for the pre-selection of candidates for the position of PCCOCS chief prosecutor held a meeting on 23 January and ruled that three candidates for the office of chief prosecutor of this Prosecutor’s Office ‘’meet the eligibility criteria,’’ and were promoted for the phase of interview. Andrei Mațco, Eugen Rurac and Sergiu Russu run for the position of PCCOCS head.