Six candidates for the position of member in the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM), were heard by the Pre-Vetting Commission, between November 30 and December 2, 2022. They are Aliona Miron from the Supreme Court of Justice, Stanislav Sorbalo from the Bălți District Court, Vasile Șchiopu from the Ungheni District Court, Sergiu Caraman from the Criuleni District Court, Nicolae Șova from the Chișinău District Court, Central Office and Ecaterina Buzu from the Orhei District Court. The hearings refered to the financial and ethical integrity of the judicial candidates based on the information obtained by the Commission from public and private sources, as well as the previous written communication with them.
In particular, issues related to the origin of funds deposited in the bank accounts of the candidates and their family members, donations and loans from third parties were addressed, as well as the circumstances in which some of the interviewed magistrates purchased homes at preferential prices, in within the programs to improve living conditions for judges. The Commission’s questions also referred to properties and accounts not reflected in the assets and interests declarations, as well as to the procurement of immovable and movable assets at below market prices.
The entire process was documented by video and audio, except for the deliberations, which took place behind closed doors, and the recordings are available in Romanian and English on the Commission’s website www.vetting.md and on the YouTube channel.
Romanian version: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIvdLVUfEhS_YDe-UagYNKPGbAaIxWeLX
English version: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIvdLVUfEhS9XKB8A3zI-vmNv6Nz1BWFb
Following the hearings, the Commission will issue substantiated decisions regarding whether the candidates passed or failed the evaluation within one month at most. Up to this moment, 15 candidates for positions in the CSM, out of the 23 remaining in the competition, have been publicly heard by the Commission, and three of them have passed the evaluation.
We remind you that the hearings take place in the context of integrity evaluation process of the candidates for the position of member in the self-administration bodies of judges and prosecutors, according to Law no. 26/2022.
