The state could sue the judges to blame for the conviction of Moldova by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) so as to recover damages. The Ministry of Justice will be responsible for filing the lawsuits. The statutes of limitations will be five years. A bill to this effect was given a first reading by Parliament on July 16, IPN reports.
“The period of time for holding these judges accountable is being made flexible. The periods are now restricted and the procedure is considerably bureaucratized. As a result, the state, following the decisions taken by the European Court of Human Rights, can no longer act as the statutes of limitations in most of the times expire before the judges can be held accountable,” Minister of Justice Fadei Nagachevski stated in Parliament.
Under the bill, the judges will bear pecuniary liability proportional to the level of guilt set in the lawsuit filed by the state. The law guarantees judicial immunity and the judges will be held accountable only for cases in which their guilt will be confirmed by final decisiona.
The minister said that together with the adoption of this bill, redress lawsuits will be filed and the judges will be unable to manipulate public opinion by invoking the enjoyed immunity.
