Ion Munteanu Inaugurated as Moldova's Prosecutor General
The Republic of Moldova has a new Prosecutor General. Ion Munteanu was inaugurated today, June 1, into office.
The solemn ceremony was attended by the country's president, Maia Sandu, and the president of the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP), Dumitru Obadă. In her speech, the head of state acknowledged that, currently, the justice system is progressing slowly. According to the president, the time has come "to do more, faster, and more correctly."
"You have a complicated mission. Today, unfortunately, in the justice system, less is done than is spoken. The time has come to do more, faster, more firmly, and more correctly. My expectation, and that of the citizens, is to see justice done. Those who have violated the law must be sanctioned. In the justice system and the prosecution, we must have honest and professional people. I wish you success," declared President Maia Sandu.
The CSP President assured the new Prosecutor General of the institution's full openness and support. "We remain anchored to the values of the rule of law," declared Dumitru Obadă.
In turn, the new Prosecutor General appealed to prosecutors across the country to consolidate and be "aware" of the country's situation. "We must deliver to the maximum, ensure the continuation of the investigations we have, and be aware of the dangers currently facing the Republic of Moldova," declared Ion Munteanu.
The Superior Council of Prosecutors decided to propose Ion Munteanu's candidacy to the President of the country for the leadership of the General Prosecution, after he won the competition against Octavian Iachimovschi and Alexandru Cernei.
The Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, declared yesterday that, like the entire society, she has high expectations for the future Prosecutor General of the Republic of Moldova. She stated on Rlive that Ion Munteanu must build a competent team so that the objectives of reforming the prosecution, which he announced during the selection competition for the Prosecutor General position, can be attained as soon as possible.
The position of Prosecutor General remained vacant after Alexandr Stoianoglo was suspended at the beginning of October 2021 and dismissed at the end of September 2023. The presidential decree of dismissal was based on the CSP members' decision, which found the Prosecutor General's performance unsatisfactory.
Ion Munteanu was named interim Prosecutor General in October 2022, after Dumitru Robu's mandate expired. At that time, Ion Munteanu declared that he would prioritise accelerating the examination of corruption cases in court.
The Prosecutor General is appointed for a single term of 7 years.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
