External evaluation of PCCOCS begins: First prosecutors interviewed on income and donations
The prosecutor evaluation commission started hearings for prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS). Valeriu Sîrbu and Ion Brînza were the first prosecutors to undergo this stage; commission members asked them to explain their income, savings, and donations, as well as their conduct in a case later examined by the European Court of Human Rights.
Hearing of prosecutor Valeriu Sîrbu: Request for closed-door session rejected twice
Prosecutor Valeriu Sîrbu was summoned for a hearing on September 15 and 16. On September 7, he requested that the hearing be held behind closed doors; Evaluation Panel F rejected this request by decision on September 10, 2026. On September 14, the prosecutor submitted a renewed request, asking again for the examination of the ethical integrity aspect to take place behind closed doors. The Panel rejected this second request as well, prompting the prosecutor to challenge the decision before the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP)—the authority required, under Law No. 252/2023, to issue a ruling on the matter.
Valeriu Sîrbu’s hearing took place over two sessions. Part of the first session was held behind closed doors to protect the privacy of third parties. During the public portion of the session, Evaluation Panel F requested clarifications regarding cash holdings available between 2004 and 2007—relevant for establishing the source of savings at the start of the evaluation period—as well as discrepancies between income, assets, and expenditures across several years of the evaluated period, and repeated donations received from various relatives.
The second session was intended to examine the prosecutor's ethical integrity. Although the Panel's decision to hold the hearing publicly had been challenged before the CSP, the Panel assured Sîrbu that it would not publish the recording until the challenge was resolved, and specified that the public would not attend the session. Nevertheless, the prosecutor refused to participate in the examination of the ethical issue.
Hearing of prosecutor Ion Brînza: Questions regarding the "Petrenco Group" case
Prosecutor Ion Brînza's hearing was held partly in public. During the public hearing, Evaluation Panel E questioned him regarding the prosecutor's potentially arbitrary conduct in the "Petrenco Group" criminal case. The actions taken by the prosecution in connection with this case were the subject of review by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Petrenco and Others v. the Republic of Moldova.
The Court examined two other matters—concerning potential arbitrary acts in a criminal trial and a separate criminal case—in a closed session to ensure public order.
The external evaluation process for prosecutors began in 2024 and covers 129 individuals. To date, the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP) has issued final decisions in 39 cases—representing 30.2% of the total—according to data provided to Moldova 1 TV.
Of these, 33 prosecutors passed the evaluation: 31 from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and two from the Prosecutor General's Office. Six prosecutors did not pass: four from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, one from the Prosecutor General's Office, and one acting chief prosecutor of a territorial prosecutor's office.
