Procedures of considering criminal files to be simplified in Moldova

Chisinau, 14 April /MOLDPRES/ - The procedures of considering criminal files will be simplified. The parliament adopted a draft law to this end today.  

The initiative was worked out by the Justice Ministry and is aimed at optimizing the judicial procedures provided for in the action plan for the implementation of the strategy on ensuring the independence and integrity of the justice sector for 2022-2025.  

Under the document, three simplified procedures are stipulated, meant to optimize the criminal suit, such as the agreement on the recognition of guilt, the legal agreement in public interest judging the case based on the evidence produced during the criminal prosecution phase. Thus, if the agreement on the recognition of guilt is concluded, the accused person might benefit from a shortening of the punishment by one third, if the court accepts the agreement.    

The judging of the evidence produced in the criminal prosecution phase can take place, only if the defendant declares that he/she fully recognizes the facts indicated in the indictment, the defendant demands the producing of new evidence or if enough data on the defendant’s guilt comes from the criminal prosecution phase. In this case, the punishment will be shortened by a quarter.    

As for the legal agreement of public interest, it will be applicable only for legal entities for the committing of such offences as fiscal evasion of enterprises, institutions and organizations, money laundering, active corruption, influence peddling, giving bribe.     

In the second reading, the legislative initiative was merged with the draft law which sees the delimiting of the competences of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anticorruption Centre in terms of investigation of the high-level corruption. Thus, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office will exercise the duty of criminal investigation for the high-level corruption. At the same time, the National Anticorruption Centre will investigate cases of systemic corruption and the small corruption will be investigated by the criminal prosecution body of the Interior Ministry.   

Photo: Parliament