President Maia Sandu sends the Law on Advocacy for reconsideration. In her opinion, in the form adopted by the Parliament, it does not provide sufficient solutions for the systemic problems of the advocacy, especially those related to integrity, transparency, meritocracy, and the effective assurance of citizens’ access to justice, reports IPN.
“I expect the new Parliament to review the project in dialogue with professionals in the field, with civil society and with European partners, and to come back with a law that ensures both the independence of the profession and the resolution of the problems mentioned above, so that the legal profession can contribute to the respect of the law and the strengthening of confidence in justice”, states the head of state.
On the eve, the Lawyers’ Union announced the initiation of a general strike among the profession, following the vote at the National Lawyers’ Congress. The resolution regarding the protest was adopted with 1,430 votes “for” and only 24 “against”. Of the supporters of the strike, 827 lawyers opted for a general protest without exceptions, while 591 voted for a strike with certain exceptions.
At the same time, through the adopted resolution, the Congress condemns the way in which changes were made to the Law on Advocacy, through the amendment voted in the second reading on July 10, without consulting the representatives of the legal profession. According to lawyers, this amendment changes the governance structure of the profession, contrary to international norms on the practice of law, to which the Republic of Moldova is a party.
In the public space, information has been circulated suggesting that the lawyers’ protest might not be as spontaneous and authentic as it seems. Among the most vocal supporters of this protest are lawyers with known connections to controversial politicians and people from the circle of the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who are involved in large-scale cases. In this context, the lawyers stated that the protest “does not represent actions directed by any political formation, by their leaders and has no connection with the political choices of any members of the Union of Lawyers from Moldova”.
