{"id":431865,"date":"2015-08-11T11:08:57","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T08:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moldova.org\/?p=431865"},"modified":"2015-08-11T11:08:57","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T08:08:57","slug":"secretary-of-the-council-of-europe-for-nyt-moldova-is-a-captured-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/secretary-of-the-council-of-europe-for-nyt-moldova-is-a-captured-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Secretary of the Council of Europe for NYT: Moldova is a captured state"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

The Republic of Moldova \u2014 a tiny country of just 3.5 million people \u2014 is at risk of becoming Europe\u2019s next security crisis, with potential consequences far beyond its borders.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The statement belongs to Thorbjorn Jagland, former PM of Norway and now the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, in an article written for The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Jagland, the “corruption remains endemic and the state is still in the hands of oligarchs, while punishingly low incomes have propelled hundreds of thousands of Moldovans to go abroad in search of a better life”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The European official explains also the general disappointment of the people of Moldova:<\/p>\n

Many still look to Brussels for the answer, while others instead believe that prosperity lies with the Eurasian Economic Union, led by Russia. What unites both camps is their palpable resentment toward venal elites. Ask an average Moldovan how life varies under the different parties and you\u2019ll frequently hear that it makes no difference.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Referring to the lost billion from the Moldovan banks, Jagland stresses that “the scandal has come to epitomize the state’s failure to protect citizens’ interests” and that it led to suspending the outside financing.<\/p>\n

The Secretary gives advice for the new Government and the political class of Moldova, referring to all the problems in the Moldovan institutions:<\/p>\n

\n

Moldova, too, must now think of its democratic security. Alongside the urgent measures needed to fix the banks, the government must immediately begin purging corrupt officials from public bodies. As a start, the dozens of judges \u2014 some very high-profile \u2014 who have been accused of egregiously abusing their power should be investigated. Law enforcement agencies must also do everything they can to arrest the individuals responsible for the massive bank fraud.<\/p>\n

In order to give people confidence that justice will be served in these cases, murky political interference must be eliminated from the judicial system. Legislation currently before Parliament that would guarantee the impartiality of state prosecutors should be implemented without delay. And to prove that no one is above the law, the current blanket immunity from prosecution enjoyed by members of Parliament should be reduced.<\/p>\n

More fundamentally, Moldova will need to implement the basic checks on power that should exist in any democracy. The key anti-corruption agencies \u2014 the Anti-Corruption Center, the National Integrity Commission and the General Prosecutor\u2019s Office \u2014 must be set on an independent footing, with clear powers and genuine muscle. Robust restrictions on party funding will be necessary to weaken the grip of big money on politics. New rules will also be required to break up media monopolies and provide critical journalists with better protections.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>The Republic of Moldova \u2014 a tiny country of just 3.5 million people \u2014 is at risk of becoming Europe\u2019s next security crisis, with potential consequences far beyond its borders. The statement belongs to Thorbjorn Jagland, former PM of Norway and now the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, in an article written for The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":431860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,12,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-431865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-justice","category-opinion","category-politics"],"content_social_share":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

The Republic of Moldova \u2014 a tiny country of just 3.5 million people \u2014 is at risk of becoming Europe\u2019s next security crisis, with potential consequences far beyond its borders.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The statement belongs to Thorbjorn Jagland, former PM of Norway and now the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, in an article written for The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Jagland, the “corruption remains endemic and the state is still in the hands of oligarchs, while punishingly low incomes have propelled hundreds of thousands of Moldovans to go abroad in search of a better life”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The European official explains also the general disappointment of the people of Moldova:<\/p>\n

Many still look to Brussels for the answer, while others instead believe that prosperity lies with the Eurasian Economic Union, led by Russia. What unites both camps is their palpable resentment toward venal elites. Ask an average Moldovan how life varies under the different parties and you\u2019ll frequently hear that it makes no difference.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Referring to the lost billion from the Moldovan banks, Jagland stresses that “the scandal has come to epitomize the state’s failure to protect citizens’ interests” and that it led to suspending the outside financing.<\/p>\n

The Secretary gives advice for the new Government and the political class of Moldova, referring to all the problems in the Moldovan institutions:<\/p>\n

\n

Moldova, too, must now think of its democratic security. Alongside the urgent measures needed to fix the banks, the government must immediately begin purging corrupt officials from public bodies. As a start, the dozens of judges \u2014 some very high-profile \u2014 who have been accused of egregiously abusing their power should be investigated. Law enforcement agencies must also do everything they can to arrest the individuals responsible for the massive bank fraud.<\/p>\n

In order to give people confidence that justice will be served in these cases, murky political interference must be eliminated from the judicial system. Legislation currently before Parliament that would guarantee the impartiality of state prosecutors should be implemented without delay. And to prove that no one is above the law, the current blanket immunity from prosecution enjoyed by members of Parliament should be reduced.<\/p>\n

More fundamentally, Moldova will need to implement the basic checks on power that should exist in any democracy. The key anti-corruption agencies \u2014 the Anti-Corruption Center, the National Integrity Commission and the General Prosecutor\u2019s Office \u2014 must be set on an independent footing, with clear powers and genuine muscle. Robust restrictions on party funding will be necessary to weaken the grip of big money on politics. New rules will also be required to break up media monopolies and provide critical journalists with better protections.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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