Vetting of the judicial self-governing bodies: Hearings in candidate evaluation process

On April 25 and 26, the Vetting Commission conducted hearings for three subjects of evaluation. Judges Ghenadie Mîra, interim president of the Chișinău Court of Appeal, and Ion Talpa, president of the Bălți Court of Appeal, were interviewed as candidates for membership in the Evaluation and Selection Board of Judges, while lawyer Ion Ciuchitu was interviewed for membership in the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM).

During Ghenadie Mîra's hearing, two issues related to the candidate's ethical integrity were discussed. Commission members asked questions to clarify the lack of mention in the ethics questionnaire of a criminal case from 2017, in which the candidate was suspected and subsequently cleared of charges, as well as the circumstances surrounding the undervaluation of the apartment where he resides. Additionally, in a closed session, a complaint regarding the alleged non-compliance of the candidate with a Constitutional Court decision was examined.

After analyzing the information collected during the evaluation process of candidate Ion Talpa, the Commission did not identify any doubts that required further examination. Therefore, during the hearing, he confirmed the accuracy and validity of the information provided to the Commission throughout the evaluation.

The hearing of lawyerVitalie Ciuchitu, a candidate from the Parliament's list for membership in theSCM, focused on several aspects of financial and ethical integrity. Commissionmembers sought to clarify the sources of declared cash savings, unexplainedwealth for the period 2008 – 2021, as well as potential ethical integrityissues related to the inclusion of an apparently fictitious price in a carpurchase agreement, and non-compliance with legislation regarding constructionwork execution.

At the conclusion of eachhearing, Vetting Commission chairperson provided each candidate with theopportunity to make brief statements. Video recordings of the hearings will bepublished on the Vetting Commission's website www.vettingmd.euwithin 3 days.

Note: The three candidates are being evaluated based on integrity criteria established in Law 26/2022 regarding certain measures related to the selection of candidates for membership in the self-administration bodies of judges and prosecutors.

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