Currently, the Criminal Collegium is scheduling the proceedings for 2025 at the Chisinau Court of Appeal. Meanwhile, the court has only 18 judges left after the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) accepted the resignation of 20 judges on May 7.
The press service of the Appeal Chamber informed Realitatea portal that as of May 8, 2024, about 15 thousand cases are pending before the court.
Judge Angela Bostan told reporters, “The situation is complex and uncertain, and resolving the issue will take time. One option would be a temporary judge transfer. But it will not solve the problem completely. Civil cases are easier to solve, but there will still be an overload. There is the option of replacing the judge, but the situation is complicated because the investigation continues during the replacement period. The person taking over will need to examine the evidence and materials, and the time required for this process varies depending on the complexity.”
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By law, once a court investigation begins, any change in the composition of the judges requires the case to be heard from the beginning unless it is a single judge.
Angela Bostan mentioned that the resigned colleagues she interviewed are concerned about the restrictions they could face if they don’t undergo an extraordinary evaluation. They could lose their pensions and social benefits.
On May 7, the SCM accepted the resignation of 20 judges from the Chisinau Court of Appeal. The pre-vetting commission announced that it informed judges about the commencement of their evaluation. Subsequently, 20 judges submitted declarations of wealth and personal interests after receiving the notifications on April 11.