Moldova Justice Stalled: Reforms Needed for Results
The slow and drawn-out process of reforming Moldova's justice system is impeding the achievement of concrete results in high-profile cases, including the prosecution and justified conviction of those found guilty.
Alexandru Bot, a justice expert from the WatchDog community, emphasises the urgent need to accelerate reforms to ensure finality in critical cases.
Bot attributes the lengthy delays in cases to specific legal procedures mandated by law. He argues that a thorough review of these procedures is necessary. "Any case takes time because there are certain legal procedures that must be followed to guarantee a fair trial for the accused," Bot explains. "Only once all questions regarding the administration of evidence and the questioning of witnesses have been exhausted can a sentence be delivered. The procedures are lengthy by design, as dictated by law, to ensure that no one's rights or due process are violated."
Bot acknowledges that the examination of high-profile cases can be time-consuming in other countries as well. However, he stresses the importance of delivering visible and high-quality results. "As long as these cases drag on, those awaiting a resolution become disheartened, and the entire process loses its meaning," he says. "Ultimately, reforms must continue. Only under these conditions can we achieve tangible progress in our justice system. Otherwise, the narrative of a sluggish justice system entrenched in slow-moving reforms will persist. Throughout the world, the pursuit of justice is a lengthy process, but this is because it requires delivering a clear and demonstrably fair outcome. Otherwise, any challenge to a hastily made decision is likely to succeed."
Allegations of Illegal Funding Cloud Former Shor Party
Law enforcement agencies in Moldova are currently investigating several cases, some of which are in the pre-trial stage while others have reached the judges. One such case is that of the alleged illegal financing of the former Shor Party. The accusations and suspicions swirling around this issue appear to be substantiated by a recent testimony from a party representative in court.
According to the witness's testimony, participants in the protests organised by the party led by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor were paid to attend. The woman claims that she is currently being intimidated, which is why she has requested state protection.
The representative of the now-outlawed party, which was banned almost a year ago, testified in a case related to the alleged illegal financing of the party.
At the April 16 hearing, she recounted that she began working for the Shor Party in May 2022, being responsible for a few suburbs of Chisinau. She later became vice-president of the office in the capital's Râșcani sector. In this capacity, she organised party rallies and anti-government protests, according to Radio Free Europe.
She stated that she made lists of the names of those who came to the protests and who received money. If initially the amount was 200 lei, the fee for participating in the protests increased to 400 lei. Although she does not know who the funders are, she claims that there were discussions within the party alleging the money originated from the Russian Federation. Contacted by Radio Moldova for comment, MP Marina Tauber did not respond to the phone call to confirm or deny these allegations.
The woman further stated that she had been intimidated by her former colleagues for cooperating with investigators, which is why she had requested state protection. She maintains that she gave voluntary statements in the course of the criminal investigation, as further noted by Radio Free Europe. Any statement must be corroborated with other documented evidence, according to WatchDog expert Alexandru Bot.
"The statements of a witness hold weight whenever they are presented in court at the risk of being charged with perjury," Bot told Radio Moldova. "However, any statement made by a person must be corroborated with other documented evidence to build a comprehensive and clear picture of whether the Shor Party engaged in acts of voter bribery."
Bot further notes that only when a conviction is demonstrably justified can we speak of true progress for the Moldovan justice system.
Ilan Shor's Web of Corruption and Foreign Influence
It is worth recalling that in the last two years, there have been multiple accusations against Ilan Shor and his party alleging that they were illegally financed from Russia, with the aim of disrupting Moldova's European integration process and bringing it back into the Kremlin's sphere of influence.
In October 2022, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions, under the so-called Magnitsky Act, against several individuals and entities, including Ilan Shor and the former party, for election interference in favour of the Russian Federation. Subsequently, other states have also imposed sanctions against them.
In June 2023, at the request of the government, the Constitutional Court declared the Shor Party unconstitutional, and parliament introduced electoral restrictions for some of its representatives. Ilan Shor, however, has created or taken control of several other political parties that participated in the local elections
Translation by Iurie Tataru
