The president of the Constitutional Court Domnica Manole addressed the Venice Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the whole diplomatic corps working in Moldova, saying that the situation is now extremely difficult and can affect the work of the CC, IPN reports.
According to her, the tense situation that was created artificially around the CC affects the functionality of the rule of law in Moldova. Domnica Manole assured that the CC judges will act in strict compliance with the Constitution and will remain as impartial in passing judgments, regardless of the pressure exerted on them.
The judge related that everything started on April 9, when the Constitutional Court suspended the legal effect of a law adopted by the Government by assuming reasonability for it. On April 13, the law was declared unconstitutional as it was adopted by violating the procedures defined by the Constitution. The same day, the then president of the CC Vladimir Țurcan had a telephone conversation with President Igor Dodon, on the initiative of the Head of State. The other constitutional judges and society learned about this from a TV program.
In the press briefing given by Vladimir Țurcan on April 14, he explained that his discussion with President Dodon was purely informative in character. Later, on April 23, given the then discussion between the two officials and the confirmation of the fact that the discussion centered on a pending case, the CC decided that Vladimir Țurcan behaved in a way that didn’t exclude influence from outside on him as he didn’t secure the secrecy of deliberations. Consequently, the CC judges removed Vladimir Țurcan from the post of CC president and elected Domnica Manole in his place by secret ballot.
The same day, the CC was asked to determine the constitutionality of the lending agreement between Moldova and Russia and to suspend the legal effect of the law to ratify his agreement. The Constitutional Court suspended the legal effect of this law the same day. The case is to be examined on May 7.
After April 23, the CC judges became the target of media attacks on the part of high-ranking officials, including the Head of State. “It was asserted that the Court’s judges play the game of clans, block social initiatives to support citizens and to finance economic processes with the aim of paralyzing the functions of the state amid the pandemic crisis,” stated Domnica Manole.
On May 4, the Court notified the Prosecutor General’s Office of public figures’ statements concerning alleged following and intimidation against some of the constitutional judges.
