PARLIAMENT ADOPTS AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON SCM

The Parliament adopted in a second reading the amendments to the Law on the Superior Council of Magistracy. On Thursday, the document was voted by 51 MPs (of the Moldovan 101-member Parliament), which is the minimal number necessary for adopting the law in the second reading.

According to the amendments, the SCM is extended to 15 from 12 members. Among these there are 5 professors of law, appointed by majority of MPs at the proposal of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Legal Affairs, Appointments and Immunity.

Seven more members are elected from among judges by means of secret ballot at the General Assembly of Judges in the following way: four from courts, two – from appeals courts and one – from the Superior Court of Justice. Those who get majority of votes at the sitting are appointed. Also, the SCM includes Chairman of the Superior Court of Justice (SCJ), the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General, who are members by their position.

The amendments imply that the SCM has to announce the conducting of the General Assembly of Judges at least 60 days before it, but not later than 30 days after the mandate of SCM member expired. Candidates for the post of SCM member submit their record to the Council at least 30 days before the General Assembly of Judges. The list of candidates and their records are published on the SCM official webpage.

Chairman of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Legal Affairs, Appointments and Immunity Vasile Bolea explained that the haste the amendments are adopted in the second reading are connected with two vacancies (on the professors’ quota) in the SCM and the failure to hold Council’s sittings due to the lack of quorum.

MPs of the “Demnitate si Adevar” Party and the Party of Action and Solidarity left the sitting hall before the voting, because a considerable part of their proposals has not been approved, while the very draft law differs much from the concept proposed by the previous Government.