Judges in leadership positions heard by the Judicial Vetting Commission

The second day of the November round of hearings organized by the Judicial Vetting Commission brought three judges before the panels. These judges currently hold or have held leadership positions in first-instance courts over the past five years. They are being evaluated for financial and ethical integrity, in accordance with the criteria established by Law no. 252/2023. The hearings aim to clarify doubts identified during the verification process that were not mitigated during the rounds of questions and answers.

Constantin Damaschin, Acting President of the Chișinău Court, was heard today by Panel D (Scott Bales, Lilian Enciu, Iurie Gațcan). The panel’s questions focused primarily on cases managed by the judge that resulted in findings of violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Panel C (Andrei Bivol, Lavly Perling, Willem Brouwer) conducted hearings with Radu Țurcanu, a judge of the Chișinău Court, and Veronica Cupcea, Acting President of the Orhei Court. Judge Țurcanu occupied leadership positions from 2017 to 2021, thereby rendering him subject to the Commission’s evaluation. During the course of the assessment, the Commission identified and examined potential issues pertaining to Judge Țurcanu’s financial integrity, including unexplained discrepancies in assets for the years 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2023, as well as matters relating to ethical integrity concerning the possible improper allocation of allowances and salary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic. All such matters were thoroughly considered during the hearing conducted today.

During the hearing of Veronica Cupcea, the panel requested clarifications regarding discrepancies in her assets over several years of the evaluation period (2013, 2014, 2017, 2020, and 2022).

The hearings will continue tomorrow, 5 November 2025, with the review of the evaluation files of judges Angela Braga, Igor Chiroșca, Sofia Ghidirim (Aramă), and Natalia Mămăligă.

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