NAC chief hopeful polygraph will have preventive effect

The director of the National Anticorruption Center (NAC) Viorel Chetraru hopes that the polygraph test will have a preventative effect. According to him, this effect is already felt when new anticorruption employees are hired, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conference held on January 23 to mark the completion of a training course by seven polygraphists, Viorel Chetraru said that the technical assistance was offered by the United States. “The U.S. assistance came at exactly the right moment. An expert from the U.S. prepared two specialists of the National Anticorruption Center, two of the Security and Information Service (SIS), and three of the Ministry of the Interior,” he stated. The seven polygraphists are psychologists with higher education and work experience. “The NAC is one of the first institutions that will implement polygraph testing. Everyone will be tested, starting with the director. The employees who will fail the polygraph test will be given the integrity test and their lifestyle will be monitored. All the reports will be presented to a commission,” said Viorel Chetraru. U.S. Ambassador in Chisinau William Moser told the same news conference that the polygraph test will help Moldova to fight corruption. “The combating of this scourge is a priority for Moldova and the country goes in the right direction. Moldova must show commitment to the fact that no functionary is above the law,” said the diplomat. William Moser stressed that the United States will continue to support the reforms in Moldova, especially those involving the law enforcement bodies. The training course cost US$20,000. Furthermore, the U.S. provided three polygraphs of US$4,000 each for the NAC, the SIS, and the Ministry of the Interior. Experts recommend that a polygraphist should test at most two persons a day.