It is particularly alarming that out of the 25 recommendations analyzed in the GRECO report, there are many where the conclusion of the Council of Europe experts is categorical: the recommendation has not been implemented. Another part contains the equally bleak wording “partially implemented”. And the least frequent is “satisfactorily implemented”.
Logos Press has already reported on the general conclusions of the report and the experts’ serious concern about the problem of “post-employment” of officials.
Another alarming vulnerability noted in the Moldova report is that the country lacks a full-fledged mechanism for identifying and managing corruption risks for all senior officials (PTEFs).
In effect, this means that key officials remain in a “gray zone” where conflicts of interest and corruption schemes are possible and difficult to trace.
GRECO experts directly point out: “It remains for the authorities to determine the form of risk registers for PTEFs. The existence of a general national risk management framework may suffice only if it identifies corruption risks associated with all PTEFs”. The existence of a general national risk management framework may suffice only if it identifies corruption risks associated with all PTEFs.)
In other words, the existing framework covers only a fraction of positions, leaving huge blind spots in the control system, the report emphasizes.
The essence of the problem
GRECO emphasizes that the absence of a complete risk register makes any declarations and internal checks formal.
Some senior officials are effectively operating without oversight, which is unacceptable, the report notes. In addition:
– Identifying and preventing conflicts of interest is difficult;
– violations can go undetected for years.
The report notes that without specific and regular monitoring, the current system only gives the appearance of control.
On this basis, GRECO again recommends Moldova to establish:
– A complete and continuously updated corruption risk register for all PTEFs;
– an effective oversight mechanism with the possibility to apply sanctions;
– transparency and accountability so that every potential threat is visible.
In fact, experts say: top positions remain a high corruption risk area, and without urgent implementation of GRECO recommendations, blind spots will persist despite all reforms.
