INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM LEADS TO PUNISHMENT OF CORRUPT OFFICIALS ONLY IF AUTHORITIES ARE INTERESTED

Investigative journalism leads to punishment of corrupt officials only if authorities are interested in, said journalist Victor Mosneag at the presentation of a research "State institutions' reaction to investigative journalism".

According to him, in March 2015, journalists published the investigation stating that the diploma of baccalaureate degree of then Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici may be forged. Some months later, Gaburici resigned.

"Then, the Democratic Party of Moldova welcomed his resignation, and some years later agreed to appoint him Minister of Economy and Infrastructure, despite the fact that he has not made any statements about his diploma", recalled the activist.

Mosneag said that in 2016, journalists published another investigation on the conflict of interest of Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca in the tendering process, but nothing has been made by the authorities. When the Liberal Party of Moldova left the parliamentary majority because of Chirtoaca's arrest in the case of paid parking places, the National Anti-Corruption Center (NACC) immediately started to investigate the facts revealed by journalists in 2016.

According to the investigation, competent authorities responded to 24 out of 32 investigations and carried out inspections, although only nine cases ended with punishment. The investigation has been made on the basis of journalistic investigations on corruption of officials commissioned by the Independent Press Association.