Corruption in Moldova
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Corruption in Moldova describes the prevention and occurrence of corruption in Moldova. The government in Moldova has in recent years taken several steps to fight corruption, including law enforcement and institutional setups. The prosecution of officials who are involved in corruption has also increased in recent years. However, businesses consider corruption a serious problem for doing business, and the business environment continues to be one of the most challenging in the region.{{cite web|title=Moldova Corruption Profile|url=http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/europe-central-asia/moldova/show-all.aspx|publisher=Business Anti-Corruption Portal|accessdate=14 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715001829/http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/europe-central-asia/moldova/show-all.aspx|archive-date=15 July 2015|url-status=dead}}
History
According to Transparency International, 37% of Moldovans report paying a bribe in 2010. One of the most perceived corrupt institutions is the police.
A large anti-corruption protest was held in Chișinău in September 2015 following a $1 billion (£655 million) bank fraud.BBC News [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34237078 Moldova: Huge anti-corruption protest in Chisinau] 13 September 2015
A 2020 paper published by the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova and sponsored by USAID analyzed the need for a specialized anti-corruption court.{{cite report |last1=Goinic |first1=Daniel |last2=Macrinici |first2=Sorina |date=October 2020 |title=The Anticorruption Court: Does the Republic of Moldova Really Need It? |url=https://crjm.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/CRJM-Oportunit-Instanta-anticoruptie-2020-En.pdf |location=Chișinău |publisher=Legal Resources Centre from Moldova |access-date=2 April 2024}}
On 19 April 2021, the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021–2024 was signed in Strasbourg, France. It is an action plan which, among other things, aims to combat corruption in the country.{{cite news|url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/new-council-of-europe-action-plan-for-the-republic-of-moldova-launched-in-strasbourg|title=New Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova launched in Strasbourg|publisher=Council of Europe|date=19 April 2021}}
In March 2023 was announced the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Court of Moldova. According to President Maia Sandu the court was necessary in order to accede to the European Union.{{cite news |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2023/03/21/moldova-to-target-corruption-with-new-court-for-major-cases/ |title=Moldova to Target Corruption with New Court for Major Cases |date=21 March 2023 }} The ACC was to be the focus of Parliamentary business from April 2023.{{cite news |url=https://radiomoldova.md/p/33560/moldova-to-establish-anti-corruption-court |title=Moldova to Establish Anti-Corruption Court }} A white paper document was published in June 2023.{{cite news |url=https://www.moldpres.md/en/news/2023/06/13/23004732 |title=Moldova to have new anti-corruption court }} The IMF took notice in a March 2024 report.{{cite news |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/technical-assistance-reports/Issues/2024/03/22/Republic-of-Moldova-Technical-Assistance-Report-Analysis-of-the-Draft-Law-on-the-Anti-546724 |title=Republic of Moldova: Technical Assistance Report-Analysis of the Draft Law on the Anti-Corruption Judicial System and on Amending Some Normative Acts }} The Council of Europe is involved.{{cite news |url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/corruption/projects/aac-moldova-2 |title=Action Against Corruption in the Republic of Moldova – Phase 2 - Economic Crime and Cooperation Division - www.coe.int }} In February 2025 Transparency International included Moldova among the "Significant Improvers" for the Eastern European and Central Asian region,{{refn |Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan |group="Note"}} attributing the improvement to the reformed judiciary of President Sandu's government, which, spearheaded by the new Anti-Corruption Court, has actively pursued corrupt officials.{{Cite web |title=CPI 2024 for Eastern Europe & Central Asia: Vicious cycle of weak democracy and flourishing corruption |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/news/cpi-2024-eastern-europe-central-asia--vicious-cycle-weak-democracy-flourishing-corruption |date=11 February 2025 |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=Transparency.org |language=en |quote=Moldova (43) improved its score after the establishment of a specialised anti-corruption court and broader judicial reform efforts under President Maia Sandu. These have resulted in high-profile prosecutions, including cases targeting officials involved in bribery and illegal party financing, signalling progress in tackling corruption impunity. Anti-corruption prosecutors have also been directed to process high-profile cases more swiftly to better prevent corrupt officials from evading justice and to deter would be offenders.}}
On Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index Moldova scored 43 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"), a gain of 13 points since 2016. When ranked by score, Moldova ranked 76th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.{{Cite web |title=The ABCs of the CPI: How the Corruption Perceptions Index is calculated |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/news/how-cpi-scores-are-calculated |date=11 February 2025 |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=Transparency.org|language=en}} For comparison with regional scores, the highest score was 53, the average score was 35 and the lowest score was 17. For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 8 (ranked 180).{{Cite web |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2024: Moldova |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024/index/mda |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=Transparency.org |language=en}}
See also
Notes
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References
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External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150715001829/http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/europe-central-asia/moldova/show-all.aspx Moldova Corruption Profile] from the Business Anti-Corruption Portal
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Category:Government of Moldova