The external evaluation process for judges at the Chișinău Court of Appeal (recently renamed the Court of Appeal Centre) has concluded, and the results show that only half of the assessed judges passed the integrity test. According to the latest report published by the Judicial Evaluation Commission, 9 judges received promotion recommendations, while another 9 were found unfit for promotion.

The latest report issued by the Commission concerns Judge Ion Bulhac, who did not pass the integrity evaluation. The document is to be reviewed by the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM), which will decide whether or not to accept the Commission’s conclusions. The report will become public either after the expiration of the appeal period or following a final decision by the Supreme Court of Justice.

In total, 18 judges were evaluated, after 21 of the original 40 judges resigned, and one judge passed the pre-vetting stage. The evaluation process began in April 2024, following the renaming of the institution from Chișinău Court of Appeal to Court of Appeal Centre.

Some of these cases have already been reviewed by the SCM, which upheld the Commission’s recommendations in four instances. In four other cases, the SCM ordered a reevaluation, while the remaining files are still under examination by the Council.