Constitutional Court Rejects Request to Suspend Provision on Trying the President

The Constitutional Court has refused to suspend a provision of Moldova’s Criminal Procedure Code stipulating that criminal cases against the country’s president are heard at first instance by the Supreme Court of Justice. The appeal to the Constitutional Court was filed by Igor Dodon, leader of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM). He argues that after a president’s term ends, a former president should be tried under the general rules, in an ordinary court of first instance rather than directly by the Supreme Court of Justice, logos-press.md reports. In his view, if the provision is subsequently declared unconstitutional, it could be difficult to remedy potential jurisdictional violations, as this could require the entire criminal case to be reconsidered. However, the Constitutional Court ruled that there were no grounds to suspend the provision and rejected the request. The judges noted that Dodon had failed to convincingly demonstrate that applying the provision could result in direct and irreversible consequences. Former President Igor Dodon is a defendant in several criminal cases launched in 2022. Dodon denies the charges against him.