Prosecutor General of Bulgaria Ivan Geshev and Prosecutor General of Moldova Ion Munteanu signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Moldova.
The document foresees enhanced cooperation in preventing cross-border crime, exchange of information and best practices, research activities in the field of criminal law and facilitation of the legal aid procedures.
The signing of the memorandum took place at a special ceremony in Moldova's capital Chisinau, and was attended by the heads of the Prosecutor's Offices "Anti-Corruption", "Fight against Organized Crime" and "International Cooperation and Legal Assistance". The Bulgarian side was represented by the President of the Chamber of Investigators in Bulgaria and investigator at the National Investigation Service Petko Petkov, as well as by the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Moldova Evgeni Stoychev.
At the meeting, the parties stressed the importance of international cooperation of law enforcement authorities in Europe, especially in the context of the degraded environment in the region following the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The Bulgarian Prosecutor General stressed the need to build lasting and workable partnerships between institutions in order to successfully counter the growing malign Russian influence. The hosts stressed that since the war illegal migration has become a serious problem for Moldova, but joint investigation groups have been set up with Ukraine, with good results. They raised the issue of the structure, functioning and independence of the judiciary in Bulgaria, as Moldova has been granted EU candidate status and justice is of primary importance for the country.
"Crime has no boundaries, and that makes criminals faster than us. In order to catch them, the best way is to communicate directly and help each other without intermediaries," Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev said. He added that during the time he has been working in the Prosecutor's Office, he has learnt that direct contact with colleagues is the best means to counter crime.
The Prosecutor General of Moldova proposed the creation of joint investigation groups with Bulgaria and expressed readiness to cooperate in all cases involving Moldovan and Bulgarian citizens. Ion Munteanu was interested in Bulgaria’s investigations of cases of corruption, illicit enrichment, money laundering, organized crime, in view of the fact that Moldova has two specialized Prosecutor's Offices dealing with this type of offences.
Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev replied that the Bulgarian Specialized Prosecutor's Office was closed for political reasons. "The Specialized Prosecutor's Office became too effective and that is why it was closed down. The direct negative effect of this fell on the fight against organized crime, but in spite of everything the prosecution in Bulgaria remains the only barrier between crime and citizens," the Prosecutor General said.