The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) reviewed the draft law submitted by a group of ruling party deputies. They proposed dissolving the PA and the PCCOCS to create a new institution: the Anticorruption and Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office (PACCO). In a statement, the PA expressed concerns about the bill, which will undergo public consultations.
“The proposed law threatens national security by increasing crime, including high-level corruption and organized crime. The changes will disrupt ongoing cases, benefiting those involved in high-level corruption. A specialized prosecutor’s office focused on high-level corruption needs sufficient resources to investigate such offenses. Merging specialized offices into a single institution raises the risk of corruption and abuse within the new structure.
The bill violates multiple constitutional principles. It undermines the rule of law, the separation of powers, and prosecutorial independence. The European Commission has criticized similar attempts in other countries.
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The authors rely on false premises. They fail to establish a causal link between the identified ‘problem’ and the proposed solution. The European Commission and other international organizations have recognized the PA’s progress and results. In December 2024, the Moldovan government acknowledged the PA’s achievements before international organizations,” the statement says.
The PA sent this opinion to the Parliament Speaker, the Legal Chair, the Appointments and Immunities Committee, the Minister of Justice, the President of the Superior Council of Prosecutors, and the Prosecutor General of Moldova. The institution also forwarded the statement to the EU Delegation in Chisinau, the OECD Anticorruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), and the Senior Advisor for Governance and Anticorruption at the International Monetary Fund.
Ruling PAS deputies introduced the draft law to merge the PA and the PCCOCS into a single entity, the PACCO. The Prosecutor General, Ion Munteanu, will appoint the new institution’s chief and several deputies, though lawmakers have not yet determined the exact number.
Parliament will consult representatives from the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice, and other stakeholders to find the best solutions.
The General Prosecutor’s Office expressed reservations about the proposal. In a press release, officials stated that a preliminary analysis of the bill revealed “short-, medium-, and long-term risks.” Meanwhile, Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru said she might seek an opinion from the Venice Commission on the PACCO’s creation.