Mass resignations hit Moldovan prosecutors amid integrity checks
The completion of the external integrity and professional ethics evaluation for prosecutors remains a distant goal, officials from the Vetting Commission have acknowledged.
To date, 190 prosecutors have been officially notified, yet comprehensive reports have been finalized for only 50 individuals.
According to Virginia Moraru, Vice-Chair of the Prosecutor Evaluation Commission, 27 prosecutors resigned immediately upon receiving their notifications, while 113 dossiers remain under active scrutiny.
Institutional exodus amid integrity checks
Among those targeted for vetting were 78 members of the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), where 15 exited the system instantly.
The Anticorruption Prosecution Office (PA) saw 67 notifications and 10 resignations, with only 11 officials successfully passing the evaluation so far.
At the General Prosecution Office (PG), 13 officials were notified, resulting in two immediate resignations from the judicial service.
Interim leadership paralyzes local offices
Virginia Moraru further announced that 72 additional prosecutors, specifically heads and deputy heads of territorial offices, will be notified in the near future.
"The entire republic is under interim leadership," declared Dumitru Obadă, head of the Superior Council of Prosecutors (CSP), during a recent justice reform forum in Chișinău.
Obadă emphasized that territorial leadership can only receive full mandates following positive reports from the Vetting Commission and a subsequent CSP vote.
Budgetary and personnel constraints
Even the General Prosecutor's Office is currently led by an interim official, as candidate Alexandru Machidon awaits final clearance from the Vetting Commission.
Nadejda Hriptievschi, a member of the Vetting Commission, expressed skepticism regarding the 2026 deadline for finishing the evaluations.
She noted that to finalize the 113 pending cases by next year, the Commission would require a staff increase of at least "one third."
"We must be realistic – there is a chance that vetting will only be completed in 2027," Hriptievschi concluded, citing the remaining volume of over 250 total evaluations.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
