Will the Ruling Regime Ruin Veronica Dragalin?

Christian RUSSU

Another attempt to oust the head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, Veronica Dragalin, has definitely failed

After the meeting of the Supreme Security Council in the middle of last November, it seemed that Veronica Dragalin’s fate was determined. Maia Sandu demanded from all her underlings to decide within 10 days on the algorithm of reforming the prosecutor’s office, so that the anticorruption unit as an independent institution would cease to exist. The goal is obvious: if it is not possible to remove Veronica Dragalin from her post, the post itself must be eliminated. Speculation about the creation of a fundamentally different body – the Anticorruption Court – has been long ago. Representatives of the ruling party at various levels have sometimes voiced their wishes to use the Romanian experience in our justice reform. At that time, it looked more like superficial threats to Dragalin, to which she reacted violently, making it clear that she would drag anyone who tried to remove her down. Everyone went into the New Year holidays without any high-profile news, and the prosecutor herself went to her family for support. Back Veronica Dragalin went on the attack, delivering a weighty slap to the ruling party.  On 16 January, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had actually been forced to drop a record number of criminal cases after parliament passed new laws shortening the statute of limitations. In other words, the blame for its alleged ineffectiveness and the rumors surfaced in the media about electoral fraud and abuse was put on the Ministry of Justice and PAS deputies, who disarmed prosecutors and allowed criminals to escape justice. Veronica Moraru’s explanations that the purpose of the new laws was not to exempt corrupt officials from accountability convinced few people. The scheme of kickbacks and the subsequent carefree life of many former officials with dubious reputations is very familiar to our public. A few days later, the president had to call a regular meeting of the Security Council to receive a report on the implementation of her instructions and measures to neutralize Dragalin. As it turned out, nobody did anything. And the self-governing body of prosecutors, represented by the Superior Council of Prosecutors, refused to take any disciplinary measures against the overseas scandalist, thus refusing to get involved in political disputes. The only talking head among the prosecutors who kept taking a dig at the head of the AP was the “hand-raised PAS Prosecutor General” Ion Munteanu.  All this annoyed the president. Therefore, direct reproaches about the “complete failure” in the fight against corruption and unquestioning statements about a “new way” look more like a final burning of bridges than another show for the public. As a result, it became clear that the authorities would resort to the tactic of “I gave you life and I take it”. If the Ministry of Justice, headed by the disgraced and shady Sergiu Litvinenco, had to create a position for Veronica Dragalin and get her into it through a rigged competition, the current Minister Veronica Moraru will have to put an end to it. The President’s Office is not going to wait for the end of Dragalin’s five-year mandate. They have again given a one-week deadline to develop a liquidation strategy. The next day, the minister was publicly “instructed”. In response, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office mockingly welcomed the legislative and structural “support measures” announced by the SCS and once again reminded that complaints should be addressed to the Ministry of Justice and Parliament, as they deprived the agency of the authority to conduct investigative actions in March 2024. The sphere of responsibility for electoral offences now lies with territorial prosecutor’s offices, with the Prosecutor General being the ultimate perpetrator. The scandal began to stir up, diverting public attention from the dubious management of the energy crisis by the ruling regime. Yesterday, the justice minister once again cheerfully reported that the authorities plan to merge the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime into one structure, and the relevant draft law will be considered by parliament soon. It is noteworthy that such drastic steps caused concern not only among the Superior Council of Prosecutors, but even among European partners. The head of the EU Delegation, Janis Mazeiks, complained that the Moldovan authorities should have consulted the European officials first and provided the draft laws being elaborated before they were submitted to the parliament. Formally, in order to get an evaluation by the Venice Commission. But, most likely, Brussels simply does not want to let the hot phase of the conflict between the two ambitious ladies run its course, which could plunge Moldova’s political class into a new crisis with unpredictable ramifications. For the time being, the president’s office pretends not to notice the European ambassador’s admonitions, probably expecting that the Europeans will not dare to openly complain. The extraordinary session of parliament opens today, and a vote in favor of the “anti-Dragalin” initiatives cannot be ruled out. The reason for introducing a package of legislative amendments is likely to be the fulfilment of one of Sandu’s pre-election promises to establish strict time limits for court rulings. That is, the ruling regime intends not only to properly seat prosecutors, but also to set deadlines for judges. Although during the PAS reform of justice so far everything has been exactly the opposite: the time limits for hearing cases have increased to obscene levels, which paralyzes the whole system. As for Dragalin herself, she is not giving up: she opposes the merger, fights back at media briefings, and states unequivocally that her office will stand up for the Constitution and the law at such a difficult time. This could be taken as a subtle hint that the current guardian of the fundamental law, the president, is not fulfilling her duties, and prosecutors under Dragalin’s leadership will have to take over that mission to some extent. However, it is unclear for how long - it seems that this time the authorities have taken a firm grip on the stubborn official.