A new candidate for the SCM Disciplinary Board enters the evaluation process

The Judicial Vetting Commission has initiated the evaluation procedure for Ruslan Berzoi, an attorney and candidate for membership in the Disciplinary Board of the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM).

With the launch of the procedure, the Commission requested that the candidate submits the primary documents required for the assessment, updated to reflect his current circumstances. Under the law, within seven days of receiving the request, the candidate must provide an Asset and Personal Interests Declaration covering the last five years, an Ethics Questionnaire, and a Declaration on Close Persons who currently work or have worked during the past five years in the judiciary, prosecution service, or public service.

The evaluation will be conducted from the perspective of financial and ethical integrity, in accordance with the criteria established by Law No. 26/2022 on Certain Measures Related to the Selection of Candidates for Membership in the Self-Governing Bodies of Judges and Prosecutors.

Ruslan Berzoi was previously evaluated by the Commission as a candidate for the position of judge of the Supreme Court of Justice and successfully passed the evaluation conducted under Law No. 65/2023 on the External Evaluation of Judges and Prosecutors.

However, a candidate who has passed the evaluation under Law No. 65/2023 is not exempted from the assessment provided for by Law No. 26/2022. The legislation provides for an exemption only in the opposite case: individuals who have passed the evaluation under Law No. 26/2022 are exempted from the assessments set by Law No. 65/2023 and Law No. 252/2023.

Law No. 26/2022 provides a broader review of financial and ethical integrity. The assessment of financial integrity examines a candidate’s assets and interests over the past 15 years, without requiring a minimum threshold of inexplicable wealth. The assessment of ethical integrity is also broader in scope and is not limited to a specific period of time.

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