The first three female magistrates, candidates for membership of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM), have passed the financial and ethical integrity assessment. Thus, the members of the pre-vetting commission, Livia Mitrofan and Maria Frunze, judges at the Chisinau Court of Appeal, Centre, and Ioana Chironeț, judge at the Chisinau Court of Appeal, Ciocana, publicly heard on 7 October 2022, “meet the criteria of ethical and financial integrity and pass the evaluation”.

“The conclusion is contained in each of the three reasoned decisions, adopted unanimously by the members of the Commission, and sent to the candidates subject to evaluation and to the Superior Council of Magistracy, the institution responsible for organising the elections or competition for the selection of members of the CSM. Livia Mitrofan and Ioana Chironeț are running for membership of the CSM, and Maria Frunze is also running for membership of the College for the Selection and Career of Judges,” the Commission announces.

In order to determine whether the candidates meet the integrity indicators, the evaluation process analysed information from numerous public and private sources, such as the National Integrity Authority, the State Tax Service, the General Inspectorate of Border Police, financial institutions, as well as open sources such as social media, investigative journalistic reports and reports from civil society organisations. The Commission has carefully checked the veracity and relevance of all information received and issues where there were uncertainties have been addressed in written questions to candidates and at the public hearing.

The first three candidates for the position of members of the CSM, heard by the Pre-Vetting Committee. How they answer questions on wealth and income: “I felt like I was at confession”

On Friday 7 October, the Commission held public hearings on the financial and ethical integrity of the top three candidates for membership of the CSM, out of the 24 remaining at that time.

28 candidates from among the judges entered the competition for the position of member of the CSM. However, 23 of them reached the stage of public hearings, after four judges withdrew from the competition and one magistrate did not submit a declaration of assets and personal interests for 5 years.

Ziarul de Gardă analysed the activity, wealth and integrity of each candidate and presents the most important information about the judges entered in the competition, who, in a first stage, will go through the integrity assessment procedure, in the context of the Pre-Vetting Law.