The Action against Corruption in the Republic of Moldova presented the results of the assessment of the national framework and internal practices of the Judicial Inspection during an online roundtable on 13 October 2021. The event was attended by representatives of the Superior Council of Magistracy and its professional boards, the Ministry of Justice, development partners and civil society organizations.
It was noted that the assessment did not only take stock of the existing standards and good practices in ensuring effective disciplinary procedures with respect to judges, but also analysed possible shortcomings faced by the disciplinary bodies in the Republic of Moldova which prevent the performance of easy, fair and equitable disciplinary procedures.
The event facilitated an exchange of opinions between the national authorities and Council of Europe experts on possible mechanisms to further consolidate the national framework and existing practices on the activity of the Judicial Inspection in line with GRECO recommendations and international good practices. The discussions and recommendations presented during the event addressed the following subjects:
Competences of the Judicial Inspection and ways to consolidate its independence;
Legislative and regulatory challenges in performing disciplinary controls in respect to judges;
Practical solutions and ways forward to consolidate the activity of the Judicial Inspection.
The representative of the Ministry of Justice highlighted that strengthening the role and status of the Judicial Inspection represents one of the priorities for the upcoming months. The analysis and suggestions provided by the Council of Europe experts will be considered by the national authorities once the process of revising the existing national framework regarding the Judicial Inspection will be initiated.
In its Second Compliance Report of Fourth Evaluation Round on the Republic of Moldova, GRECO emphasized that the legal and operational framework of the disciplinary liability of judges should be revised with a view to strengthening its objectivity, efficiency and transparency.
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.
Link to Technical Papers