Continuous training on the investigation and prosecution of illegal financing and electoral corruption crimes

On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at the National Institute of Justice, a seminar was held for judges and prosecutors with the generic title "Investigation and trial of crimes of illegal financing of political parties, electoral competitors, initiative groups or electoral campaigns and crimes of electoral corruption, vote buying".

The relevance of this training in the context of the upcoming elections was emphasized, at the opening of the event, by Ecaterina Popa, head of the Training and Research Department of the National Institute of Justice, Falk Lange, head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, Veronica Dragalin, head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, and Pavel Postica, vice-president of the Central Electoral Commission. It was also mentioned that the development of skills in this segment is essential to protect the integrity of democratic processes.

The continuous training program aimed at achieving two objectives: elucidating regulatory impediments and applying the rules in the field of political party financing and electoral corruption crimes, including vote buying, as well as strengthening skills in the investigation and examination of illegal financing and electoral corruption crimes. The training sessions were delivered by Pavel Postica, vice-president of the CEC, and INJ trainers – Ghennadi Epure, prosecutor in the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, CoE consultant, and Elena Cobzac, ex-judge.

The seminar was organized by the National Institute of Justice, the Central Electoral Commission and the Office of the Council of Europe in Chisinau.