Republic of Moldova - March 2024

The General Prosecutor competition process in Moldova was abruptly cancelled on 28 February after anomalous scores by a single member of the Special Counsel of Prosecutors (SCP) were discovered, which appeared to have decisively changed the results of the process. The office has been de facto vacant since 2021, and having a new General Prosecutor in place by March 2024 was a specific condition of the EU accession process and seen as a test of the ability of the government to go through with significant justice sector reforms. Moldova’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation to determine if Olesia Virlan, the SCP member whose anomalous scores led to the selection of Deputy Acting General Prosecutor Igor Demciucin over Acting General Prosecutor Ion Munteanu, was involved in wrongdoing. Following the revelations, the SCP removed Demciucin from his post upon accusations by Munteanu and other candidates that he and Virlan had attempted to rig the selection process.

Sources: Balkan Insight, MoldPres News Agency, Moldova Matters