Veronica Dragalin: Maia Sandu and Dorin Recean requested a list of "integrity" prosecutors. Presidency reacts
President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean allegedly asked the former head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (PA), Veronica Dragalin, for a list of "integrity" prosecutors who should pass the vetting procedure. The information appears in a letter addressed to Judge Mariana Ursachi on April 5, made public by the former deputy of the CNA, anti-corruption expert Cristina Ciubotaru. The Presidency rejected the accusations, describing them as fake and unfounded. In an official reaction, the institution reiterated that the judiciary must be cleansed of corruption and transformed into a strong, independent, and credible system.
According to a letter that has come to public attention, Veronica Dragalin was approached in 2024 by both Prime Minister Dorin Recean and President Maia Sandu regarding the external evaluation of the financial and ethical integrity of prosecutors. Dragalin states that the officials requested a “list of prosecutors that she considers to be honest” and those she believes should undergo the vetting process.
“I have never sent such a list because I believe it is inappropriate to involve politics in the vetting procedure. Furthermore, I think such a list could be misused for the opposite purpose—essentially to target the prosecutors I view as honest and fair (unlikely to be subjected to political pressure in the future), which is what happened,” she wrote in the letter published by lawyer Cristina Ciubotaru.
Additionally, Dragalin mentions that during a meeting with President Maia Sandu, which allegedly took place earlier this year at the Presidential Palace, the President expressed concerns that Dragalin's presence in the leadership of the Prosecutor's Office would pose "a danger to the security of the state," since the institution had failed to prevent the "negative results" of the elections held last fall.
The Presidency has denied the accusations, labeling them as false and unfounded. They emphasized the importance of an independent and fair judiciary, asserting that the vetting process is crucial for eliminating corruption within the system.
“It is regrettable that the former Chief Prosecutor is making unfounded accusations about her discussions with the President. The Moldovan President has consistently highlighted the need for the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the entire justice system to eliminate corruption and become a strong, independent institution that earns public trust. The vetting and pre-vetting procedures involve a commission of external evaluators who review files and recommend the removal of corrupt individuals from the system. We regret that the former Prosecutor does not support this cleansing process, which is conducted alongside the promotion of honest prosecutors and judges to build an integrity-based justice system," stated the Presidency.
We remind you that as of now, the former head of the Prosecutor's Office, Veronica Dragalin, has not confirmed the authenticity of the letter nor commented on the statements made by the Presidency.
We recall that Veronica Dragalin, as head of the PA, has repeatedly publicly criticized the vetting of prosecutors. She claimed that the external evaluation could block the activity of the institution she headed, given that several prosecutors resigned or were planning to resign to avoid verification of their ethical and financial integrity.
The former head of the PA has also publicly opposed the reform of the two specialized prosecutors’ offices – the PA and the PCCOCS, at the proposal of the Ministry of Justice. Dragalin believes that under her leadership, the PA has achieved “historic” results in the fight against corruption and that merging the prosecutors’ offices that fight organized crime and corruption would be “unfounded”.
On the other hand, President Maia Sandu has repeatedly publicly criticized the activity of the institutions responsible for the fight against corruption. In a recent show at Radio Moldova, the head of state stated that the justice reform in the Republic of Moldova is approaching its final stage and that, although significant progress has been made, the process must continue, to ensure a clean and efficient judicial system. Regarding the reorganization of the two specialized prosecutor's offices, Maia Sandu reiterated the need to consolidate them into a single "strong" institution.
