Prosecutor general to be excluded from political negotiations

The prosecutor general will be elected by the Supreme Council of Prosecutors, not the legislative body as at present. Only the prosecutors will be able to conduct investigations, not yet the police. This and other aspects of the future reform of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) were discussed in a roundtable meeting on Friday, Info-Prim Neo reports. Prosecutor General Valeriu Zubco said the PGO will draft a bill with amendments to the Constitution of Moldova and the Law on the Prosecutor’s Office. According to him, the amendments will concern the powers of the prosecutors and the demilitarization of the Prosecutor’s Office. Minister of Justice Alexandru Tanase said the investigation of offenses is a very important aspect of the reform. “I think only the prosecutor should investigate as their actions can be challenged in court, as any other abuse,” he said. As to the method of electing the prosecutor general, the minister said that the prosecutor general should be excluded from political negotiations. “It is not right for Parliament to name the prosecutor. Such a decision should be taken by the Supreme Council of Prosecutors, while the prosecutor general should be appointed by presidential decree, in accordance with the procedure for naming judges,” said Alexandru Tanase. According to the minister, the reform has two key objectives – to improve the investigation of offenses and to transform the Prosecutor’s Office into an institution that would guarantee the human rights and freedoms. Public prosecutor Jogeir Nogva, a member of the Norwegian Mission of Rule of Law Advisers to Moldova, said the reform is extremely necessary for the modernization of the Prosecutor’s Office, but it should meet the Western standards. “Among the main steps that should be taken within the reform is to ensure the independence of the Prosecutor’s Office in general and every prosecutor in particular,” he stated. The reform of the Prosecutor General’s Office is part of the government program of the Alliance for European Integration.