Judges of the proposed Anticorruption Court will receive security guarantees, as handling grand corruption cases poses risks to their safety and that of their families, PAS deputy chairwoman Olesea Stamate stated during the talk show “Rezoomat” on RliveTV. Stamate noted that while it is not yet decided whether these judges will receive state protection, this option remains under consideration, IPN reports.
On November 18, Prime Minister Dorin Recean announced that judges handling grand corruption cases would be provided with financial and security guarantees. According to Stamate, these measures could apply to two groups: judges of the soon-to-be-created Anticorruption Court and members of specialized panels in the first-instance and appeals courts already dealing with such cases.
“The creation of the Anticorruption Court has been under discussion for some time. If established, its judges may receive specific guarantees, including financial incentives like pay raises or bonuses, as well as security measures. Given the nature of grand corruption cases, the risks to their safety and that of their families are evident. This approach aligns with practices in other countries that have similar courts. Additionally, such measures could extend to judges currently hearing grand corruption cases, such as those on specialized panels in the lower and appellate courts. The Government will make proposals, and we will decide whether bodyguards or other protections are warranted,” explained Stamate.
She clarified that financial guarantees would not result in excessively high salaries for Anticorruption Court judges. The Venice Commission has recommended that their pay be only slightly higher than that of judges in ordinary courts to avoid disproportionate differences.
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“The Venice Commission advises that the salaries of Anticorruption Court judges can be marginally higher than those of ordinary court judges but should not be excessively so. For example, their pay cannot be double that of a regular judge. Financial guarantees would involve only a modest increase,” Stamate added.
On November 30, 2023, Parliament approved in its first reading a draft law submitted by President Maia Sandu to establish the Anticorruption Court. The proposed court would specialize in examining all criminal corruption cases and related offenses.