The Regional Anticorruption Initiative, which includes Moldova and another eight Southeast European states, celebrates its 15th anniversary. In the anniversary conference held in Chisinau on September 28, anticorruption experts spoke about the successes and challenges of the last 15 years and about the own experience that can be implemented at regional level, IPN reports.
National Anticorruption Center director Viorel Chetraru expressed his conviction that the participants in the conference will be able to learn from each other’s experience in preventing and fighting corruption. He said that a new corruption fighting strategy is being worked out in Moldova and the conclusions formulated in this event will be useful.
Prosecutor General Corneliu Gurin said the problem of corruption fighting is now more topical than ever and this difficult process should be supported by the political class and by new combating mechanisms and new ideas. Moldova’s legislation on corruption fighting is good, but a lot of work is yet to be done at institutional level.
Minister of Justice Vladimir Cebotari stated that about US$1 trillion bribe is given annually worldwide. Corruption fighting represents a very important element in the process of reforming the justice sector. New mechanisms are needed to root out corruption. The influence of the human factor should be reduced in the process of managing justice and all the players should be involved in the process of preventing and fighting corruption.
Radu Cotici, head of the Regional Anticorruption Initiative’s secretariat, said all the conclusions formulated in the conference will be transmitted to the authorities as recommendations.
