Dragalin Rejects Prosecutorial Merger, Highlights Surge in Anti-Corruption Convictions

The head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Veronica Dragalin, presented the institution’s 2024 activity report and outlined its priorities for the year. She stated that the proposed merger of specialized prosecutors’ offices has no justification.

Over the past two years, prosecutors have sent 40 high-level public officials to court, including SIS directors, prosecutors, and judges. By comparison, only seven officials faced prosecution in 2021 and just two in 2020.

“The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office continues to handle high-profile cases, reinforcing that no one is above the law. Any high-ranking official who breaks the law will be held accountable,” Dragalin said.

She reiterated that merging the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office with the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) lacks rational justification and was not recommended by any expert.

“This is a completely misguided move— from my personal and professional perspective as a prosecutor. There is no basis for merging these offices,” Dragalin said.

FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS, FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!

She also noted that she had not been invited to Parliament for hearings and was unaware of the purpose behind the changes announced yesterday by the Minister of Justice.

According to the 30-page report, last year saw a sharp rise in fines and confiscations ordered by judges in Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office cases, totaling 74,987,225 lei. It marks a 600% increase from the previous year and exceeds the total amount recorded over the past four years.

Notable convictions in high-level corruption cases included:

• The former acting president of the Savings Bank was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
• Ilan Shor was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the Bank Fraud case.
• A former Deputy Prime Minister and a former Deputy Speaker were both convicted.

Additionally, authorities completed an e-platform for collecting data on high-level corruption and formed a joint investigation team with French officials to probe a corruption scheme involving INTERPOL.