Vladislav Kozhukhar
The document provides for the expansion and clarification of the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Center in the field of investigation of economic and financial crimes, including fraud damaging the financial interests of the state and the European Union.
Deputies count money and risks
The draft also includes the establishment of a new position of deputy director, which would increase the number of deputy management positions to three. According to some estimates in the draft, the creation of this position will require an annual labor fund of about 570,750 lei.
MP Liliana Iaconi questioned the correctness of these calculations:
“You have presented information with erroneously estimated financial implications. The declared annual salary of the deputy director is about 700 thousand lei, plus compulsory contributions paid by the employer. Therefore, I ask you to estimate expenses more accurately in the next projects”.
Vasile Tarlev raised the issue of the expediency of granting the director of the center the right to hold the position for two terms:
“Is this your initiative or someone else’s? And you still insist on giving him more than one term? But after all, giving such broad powers to the National Anti-Corruption Center and its director – whoever he is – for two terms is a danger to the country. This is a public office, not a political one, like the post of the country’s president, it is a different matter,” Tarlev said.
Justice Minister Vladyslav Kozhukhar specified that the initiative was proposed in strict compliance with the legal framework:
“The proposals were developed within the framework of a working group, which asked a simple question: how do we strengthen the managerial capacity, how do we ensure that the performance of the leadership function allows for the consistent implementation of institutional policies and the effective use of managerial experience.”
Who gets top corruption
It is worth noting that the draft also stipulates that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office will prosecute high-level corruption cases involving public officials, including the country’s President, Speaker of Parliament, deputies, Prime Minister, People’s Advocate (Ombudsman), judges, members of the Superior Council of Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors, as well as the leadership of the Anti-Corruption Center and the Information and Security Service.
According to the authors, these changes are necessary to ensure an independent and impartial investigation, to prevent conflicts of interest and interference in the criminal process, and to strengthen public confidence in state institutions.
At the same time, in order to increase the effectiveness of the Prosecutor’s Office in combating organized crime and special cases, minor or low-complexity crimes will be excluded from its competence. Thus, it will focus on cases related to terrorism, crimes committed by criminal organizations and other particularly serious cases.
The State Tax Service and the Customs Service will prosecute economic, financial and customs cases in accordance with the law and under the coordination of the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases, if the damage caused does not exceed 50,000 conventional units.
The bill also introduces rules for the formation of prosecution teams for complex or large-scale cases to facilitate cooperation between prosecutors and prosecution officers from different agencies.
In addition, the document clarifies the possibility of appealing against any court decisions on preventive measures at any stage of the process, up to and including a judgment on the merits of the case.
Eurostandards
According to the Majoritarian faction, this draft is part of the commitments within the European integration process.
“The legislative initiative fits into the commitments assumed by Moldova in the European Union accession process and is essential for the implementation of the reform agenda related to the economic growth plan, namely the anti-fraud measures and the protection of EU financial interests,” MP Ana Kalinic said.
The draft was approved in the first reading with 57 votes. The vote was accompanied by a scandal in the conference hall – MP Vasile Kostiuk had his sound broadcast interrupted during his speech. The speaker threatened deputy Oleksandr Vershynin with deprivation of speech for the next three sittings.
