High-profile corruption cases must be examined swiftly, but speed should not create the perception of political pressure, anti-corruption expert Cristina Ciubotaru said amid criticism over how the case involving Vlad Plahotniuc is being handled, IPN reports.
In an interview published in the December issue of the monthly bulletin of the Association for Foreign Policy, produced in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Ciubotaru warned that public statements by politicians praising the rapid handling of sensitive cases undermine public trust in judicial independence.
She noted that a shortage of judges and temporary transfers between first-instance and higher courts can lead either to delays and retrials or, conversely, to unusually fast proceedings fueled by political rhetoric. “Under these conditions, political interest cannot be ruled out, whether in delays or in haste,” Ciubotaru said. She added that the rapid examination of the Vladimir Plahotniuc case raises legitimate questions, given that the alleged offenses date back more than a decade and involve highly complex matters that risk becoming time-barred if delayed.
Commenting on the case involving former president Igor Dodon, known as the “Kuliok” case, Ciubotaru pointed out that restarting proceedings after nearly three years, following the replacement of a temporarily transferred judge, raises concerns amid repeated changes in judicial panels and the broader political context.
She recalled that Dodon leads the Party of Socialists (PSRM), which governed in alliance with the ruling PAS between 2019 and 2021, and with which a new alliance was not ruled out even after the parliamentary elections in the autumn of 2025. “In this context, changes in the pace of examining the case may have several explanations, including extra-legal ones,” the expert said.
Ciubotaru stressed that replacing judges remains one of the most effective ways to delay high-profile cases and continues to fuel public suspicion. “Those responsible for the ‘gearbox’ of the justice system must clearly understand how these selective accelerations and slowdowns are perceived by the public,” she concluded.
Vladimir Plahotniuc was extradited to Chișinău on September 25. At his first court appearance, he pleaded not guilty in the bank fraud case and said he wanted to “shed light” on the banking scandal. Although he requested the hearing of 164 witnesses, the court approved only 27.
Plahotniuc is implicated in several cases, including the banking fraud, the Metalferos case, the procurement of passport blanks, and the so-called “Bag” case, in which he is suspected of bribing former President Igor Dodon.