On 14 September 2021, the Council of Europe HELP course on Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers was presented to the first group of trainees following its adaptation to the domestic legal system by Action against Corruption in the Republic of Moldova. The online launch event was attended by 45 participants, including representatives of the Council of Europe, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) as well as judges, prosecutors and lawyers from the Republic of Moldova.

The Course on Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers was designed to help professionals understand the purpose and importance of ethics in the administration of justice, allowing to identify key concepts and enhance understanding of common ethical values and principles. The course is open to participants until November 2021. Following this pilot tutored course edition, the Romanian version of the course will become publicly available on the HELP online platform for autonomous, self-learning.  

In his opening remarks, Mustafa Ferati, Head of Economic Crime and Cooperation Division, Department of Action against Crime, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG I), Council of Europe noted that the course will bring additional support when dealing with professional ethical dilemmas by providing an understanding of ethical standards, but also practical examples collected from different countries and case studies applicable to the Republic of Moldova. Diana Scobioala, Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), expressed her satisfaction with the continuous cooperation with the Council of Europe.  

Nina Betetto, President of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) and one of the authors of this HELP course highlighted the importance of ethics in the activity of judges, prosecutors and lawyers and preserving the rule of law.

The national tutors, Inga Furtuna, Olga Marandici and Petru Balan, highlighted the course’s objectives, national adaptation process, activities for the trainees on the platform, and the evaluation methods and criteria.

This activity was organized within the framework of the project “Action against Corruption in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the US Department of State and implemented by the Council of Europe.

The HELP course on Ethics for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers is available for autonomous, self-learning in English on the HELP online Platform.