DOC Moldova's judicial map to be revised. Law published in Official Journal

Chisinau, 27 June /MOLDPRES/ - The law on the revision of the judicial map and the presidential decree on its promulgation was published in the Official Journal (Monitorul Oficial) today. The document provides for the reorganization of the law courts and courts of appeal, in order to improve the quality of the justice act and ensure the rational use of public money.   

The draft law was elaborated by the Justice Ministry, having at the basis the Report on the evaluation of the judicial reform, made within the European Union’s Project, Support for effective prevention and fight against corruption in the justice sector of Moldova. The European Commission’s recommendations for Justice Efficiency were taken into account when working out the document.   

When revising the judicial map, decision-makers took into account such aspects as the creation of big enough law courts, which are to ensure the setting up of panels of judges and judges’ specialization, the volume of  work of law courts, costs, etc. Thus, they suggest that 14 out of the overall number of 15 law courts should remain. The draft law also proposes the reconfiguring of the courts of appeal: the Centru Court of Appeal (Chisinau), North Court of Appeal (Balti), South Court of Appeal (central headquarters – Cahul, secondary headquarters – Comrat).  

In the first and second readings, the document was subjected to a process of public consultations, in which representatives of the public administration authorities competent in the field, of the Ombudsman, Superior Council of Magistracy, of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia and civil society participated. At the same time, the Promo-LEX Association organized, in Varnita, a roundtable and the participants in the event discussed the ensuring of the access to justice for the residents from the left bank of Dniester and the Bender municipality, following the change of the judicial map.     

Thus, an MP of the Action and Solidarity Party, Artemie Catanoi, proposed an amendment which sees that the Bender (Varnita) headquarters would continue working till 31 December 2030, in order to facilitate the access to justice for the citizens from the left bank of Dniester.    

The law’s goal is not to cut or increase the number of judges or employees of the law courts and of courts of appeal. Also, the judges and employees from the headquarters redistributed to other courts will continue their activity at the present working place. The only difference is that, from the administrative viewpoint, they will be regarded as working at other courts.   

According to statistics data, in 2023, the national courts had 353,201 files in procedure. Most of them, 122,846, were at the Chisinau Court and 43,177 files – at the Chisinau Court of Appeal. The smallest volume of work at the first-level law courts was registered at the Criuleni Court and Anenii Noi Court. As for the courts of appeal, the smallest number of files was recorded at the Comrat Court of Appeal.