Andrei Ojoga, a judge at the Chisinau Court of Appeals, Centre seat, proposes holding court hearings in digital mode for civil cases in court proceedings. The magistrate argues that “this digital method can facilitate the trial process and make justice more accessible and efficient”.

In an application sent to the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM), the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova (MoJ), the Court Administration Agency (AAIJ) and the Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova (UAM), the judge submitted his own application to be responsible for testing the digital trial sessions for civil cases in court. According to the magistrate, “the implementation of this initiative does not require any financial expenditure for the time being and the benefits are obvious”.

“There are several advantages associated with digital court hearings. First of all, they can reduce costs and travel time for all participants in the trial, eliminating the need to physically travel to court. They can also contribute to faster court proceedings. Digital court sessions can be more flexible in terms of scheduling and offer a more convenient option for the parties involved in a trial (…).

(…) At the end of the testing time, if determined by the SCM, the judge will draw up an information note/report on what has been observed, indicating conclusions and appropriate proposals,” the document states.

On December 20, 2017, Andrei Ojoga was appointed for a five-year term as a judge at the Chisinau Court of Appeals, according to magistrat.md. In 2011 he was a court clerk, and in October 2012 he was transferred to the position of judicial assistant. Subsequently, in July 2015, Ojoga was seconded as a local consultant to provide technical assistance to the Judicial Inspection of the SCM.

According to the law, in all courts, court hearings are public. Minors up to the age of 16 are not admitted to court hearings unless they are summoned as participants in the trial or as witnesses. Closed hearings may be held only for the purpose of protecting information constituting a state secret, trade secret or other information the disclosure of which is prohibited by law.