Changes in prosecution services are late, Oleg Efrim

The non-reformation of the prosecution service is one of the main reasons for which Moldova continues to be monitored by the Council of Europe, said Minister of Justice Oleg Efrim. In an interview for Info-Prim Neo of the series “Year 2012 in Moldova’s and Moldovans’ life”,{which was published on December 17, 2012}, he stated that the European institutions do not consider the changes that have been adopted at the Prosecutor General’s Office until now as real ones. According to the minister, some of the authorities are reorganized slowly or are not at all reorganized in accordance with the Government’s plans and the people’s expectations. Changes in justice take place, even if at a lower pace. There is a rapid transformation trend at the Ministry of the Interior, both at legislative level and at practical level. But the changes in the prosecution services are late. “The reform strategy includes a calendar for the Prosecutor General’s Office too. Some of the constitutional provisions and of stipulations concerning the immediate period, 2013- 2014, will have to be modified. But, I think that the actions concerning the prosecutor’s independence from the administration of the Prosecutor’s Office could have been adopted and implemented already at this stage. “There have always been discussions as to whether the Prosecutor Generals’ Office is efficient under parliamentary control or not or there should be executive control and the judges should have the status of magistrates that would ensure the independence of judges. What we must do is to find the place of the Prosecutor Generals’ Office and to ensure its independence so that it can achieve its goals,” stated Oleg Efrim. The Info-Prim Neo interviews of the series “Year 2012 in Moldova’s and Moldovans’ life”, which were launched on December 6, include the opinions of 12 interviewees about the performance of the passing year. The interview with the minister of justice is the fifth one.