START vetting for the five acting judges of the Supreme Court of Justice

The Independent Evaluation Commission on the External Evaluation of Judges and Candidates for the position of Judge of The Supreme Court of Justice (the Vetting Commission) informs that it has initiated the external evaluation of the five acting judges of the Supreme Court of Justice, as follows:

·       Tamara Chișca-Doneva

·       Ion Guzun

·       Aliona Miron

·       Mariana Pitic

·       Anatolie Țurcan

The Vetting Commission notified each of the five judges of the initiation of the evaluation procedure and requested the magistrates to submit a declaration of assets and personal interests, with updated data for the last 5 years, including expenses during that period, the Ethics Questionnaire, as well as a declaration on the list of close persons who work or have worked in the last 5 years in the judiciary, the prosecutor’s office and the public service. These documents shall be submitted to the Commission within 20 days from the date of the request.

After submission, the Vetting Commission will review the completed declarations and ethics questionnaire, as well as will conduct further investigation, and possibly hearings, in order to prepare a report to the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) reflecting the Commission’s conclusion whether a judge meets the ethical and financial integrity criteria identified in Law no. 65/2023.

The lack of a reasonable justification for the refusal to submit or the failure to submit the declarations or the Ethics Questionnaire within the deadline shall be grounds for the Commission to conclude that the judge failed the evaluation, according to Law No 65/2023 on the external evaluation of judges and candidates for the position of judge of the Supreme Court of Justice. Judges who apply for resignation within 20 days after the notification of the evaluation are not subject to the evaluation process.

As previously reported, the Vetting Commission was appointed by Parliament pursuant to Law no. 65 of 30.03.2023 on the external evaluation of judges and candidates for the position of judge of the Supreme Court of Justice. The six members of the Commission were appointed by the plenum of the Parliament with the vote of 3/5 of the number of elected MPs on June 15, 2023. Three members, citizens of the Republic of Moldova, were proposed by parliamentary factions, taking into account the proportional representation of the majority and parliamentary opposition, and another three members were recommended by international development partners providing technical assistance to the Republic of Moldova.

More details about the vetting process of judges and candidates for the position of judge at the Supreme Court of Justice, the Commission’s Rules of Organization and Functioning, as well as copies of the forms for the declarations and the Ethics Questionnaire are available on the Commission's web page www.vettingmd.eu

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