Hearing of judge Ion Bulhac from the Central Court of Appeal

Judge Ion Bulhac, from the Central Court of Appeal - formerly the Chișinău Court of Appeal until its renaming on December 27, 2024 - undergoes evaluation by the Judicial Vetting Commission in compliance with the provisions of Law No. 252/2023. As part of the integrity evaluation process, the Commission invited him to a hearing.

During the hearing, Panel A—comprising Commission members Andrei Bivol, Lavly Perling, and Lilian Enciu—questioned Judge Ion Bulhac to clarify matters of financial integrity, including a potential unexplained wealth in the years 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2023, the circumstances of granting a loan to a family member, and the discrepancy between the contract price and the market value in the acquisition process of a movable asset. Additionally, ethical integrity issues were addressed, particularly regarding the judge’s involvement in cases that led to findings of violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The hearing was partially conducted in a closed session, following the Commission’s approved request. The aspects discussed during the closed session are not included in this record. Following the hearing, the Commission will approve a report containing the relevant facts, reasons, and recommendations on whether the candidate passes the evaluation. The evaluation result will be published, and the report will be sent to the Superior Council of Magistracy.

⭕️For the hearings conducted under Law 252/2023, the six members of the Commission were divided into two panels of three members each, designated as Panel A and Panel B. Each panel included both national and international members.

📜The external extraordinary evaluation is carried out based on the following principles:

a) independence of the Evaluation Commission;

b) fairness of the evaluation procedure;

c) publicity of the acts issued in the evaluation process;

d) exceptional nature of the evaluation.

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