92-79-79 is a line that has been active since 1 June 2007, which can be called by people who are informed of a case of corruption to get free legal advice.
This line was launched under the “Anti-Corruption Public Awareness Campaign” project implemented by the Centre for Analysis and Prevention of Corruption with the financial support of the British Embassy in Chisinau. To advertise the line a national campaign was launched aimed at raising awareness of people and educating them in the field of anticorruption.
This anti-corruption hotline has been active from 1 June 2007 to 31 December 2009, Monday through Friday, from 9.00 to 21.00, when it is attended by four lawyers/operators, who provide free consultations by phone. Also, lawyers employed by the project offer the option of referral of cases to law enforcement authorities or, if citizens do not trust authorities, these cases can be sent for investigation to journalists, with the consent of the informant.
To ensure the highest quality of journalists’ work, the seminar “Legal dimension of journalistic investigations of corruption cases” was organized in the period 30 May – 1 June 2007. It was attended by 15 representatives of the media. The trainers were representatives of Law enforcement authorities, the Centre for Combating Economic Crime and Corruption, Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, General Prosecutor’s Office and Ministry of Interior.
Subsequently, the seminar was repeated three times in September 2008, for a total number of 80 journalists, including those from rayons and Russian-speaking people.
Within the project „Anti-Corruption Public Awareness Campaign” co-operation was established with the newspaper „Ziarul de Garda”, to which the hotline operators/lawyers, with the agreement of the petitioners, referred relevant cases for journalistic investigations. The journalists and hotline operators worked as a team, so that, before publication, the ready articles were reviewed by operators/lawyers responsible for a certain case, in order to ensure correctness of legal terminology used by journalists or to make additional comments.
As a result of this co-operation, a number of articles were published.
The titles and summaries at the beginning of articles published in the period March 2007 – March 2008 are presented below:
- „Ambassadors in Diplomatic Tourism on Public Money” 20 December 2007
„Holidays for money form the state budget. This is how the appointment of Moldovan officials as Ambassadors is perceived. At least this is what some employees of the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in the People’s Republic of China reported about the mandate of Iacob Timciuc, ex Member of Parliament from CPRM (Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova), former Minister of Energy. He was not satisfied with the conditions in the premises of the Diplomatic Mission in China and he has spent just in one month approx. USD 12000 in order to use the Embassy “at the level of Ambassador”. - „If you do not cover the holes in their pockets, the customs officers play the role of customs officers” 24 January 2008
„Customs officers levy on citizens their own taxes. Thus, if you travel, for example, by bus to Moscow, in order to facilitate your border crossing, besides the official price of the ticket you have to pay MDL 120 additionally. Although this tax has become a rule for passengers and the driver, officials from the Customs Service Department say that they did not discover this phenomenon.” - „Racket in education” 24 January 2008
„Although it is not stipulated in the law, monthly collection of money for the school fund or class fund exists. In addition to these expenses, you should consider a box of chocolates as a sign of attention, a gold bracelet on the occasion of the class teacher’s birthday, enrolment fee which exceeds MDL 1 000, compulsory lessons with a private tutor and we come to the conclusion that in the Republic of Moldova education is “free of charge” on parents’ money.” - „Patients “pay” for doctor’s mistakes” 31 January 2008
„Cases of malpractice (incorrect or negligent medical treatment, editor’s note) are rather frequent in the Republic of Moldova and their number started to grow recently. It is very difficult to prove this kind of cases, especially because those who deliver the verdict are doctors, too.” - „Amputation of cheap labour „fingers” 31 January 2008
„After just three months of activity as carpenter at SA “Ma-Tomis”, Ghenadi Tuzlucov was dismissed on grounds that he is no longer able to work: he had his right hand fingers amputated.” - „Operation „Red-handed mayor” 31 January 2008
“Besides the fact that last year was referred to as the year of failures, the year 2007 can be also considered as the year of catching some public officials red-handed, on grounds of taking bribes. This phenomenon occurred, especially, before and after the electoral campaign for local elections. According to the Fraud Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior in the period 29 December 2007 – 13 January 2008 there were registered other 6 cases of corruption, 2 cases of abuse of authority and 1 case of illegal reward received by a public official.” - „In Cucuruzeni, the director’s pigs ate the wheat of the school” 7 February 2008
„Ilie Rabii, Director of Vocational School from Cucuruzeni, is a prototype of Ostap Bender in flesh. Everybody realizes that he steals, but nobody can prove this. The Director organizes his activities in such a way that nobody, not even specialists from CCECC, can prove his guilt”, says Gheorghe Cernovol, senior master, pensioner with a length of service of 30 years at Vocational School from Cucuruzeni.” - „Corruption as financial aid at the General Police Station” 7 February 2008
„General Police Station “requests” aid from economic agents on a special account of the Savings Bank. At least, on the eve of the day of national police, 18 December 2007, the representatives of the Police Station received taxes on that bank account from a number of economic agents, “bargaining like in a market place”. - „Red-handed policemen at large” 14 February 2008
“The Head of the Criminal Investigation Section of Drochia Police Station and one of his subordinates extorted from a person the amount of USD 250 in exchange for their decision according to which that person would not be obliged to act as a witness or even as a party in a criminal case. The citizen addressed the Centre for Combating Economic Crime and Corruption (CCECC). He accepted to participate in the transfer of the amount extorted by policemen and in catching them ”red-handed”. The mission was “successfully” completed. - „Money laundering in the kindergarten well” 21 February 2008
„The Director of the kindergarten from Hirtopul Mare, Maria Postoronca, is suspected of extorting some amounts of money from parents of children who attend this institution. Parents pay MDL 100 on a monthly basis and each of them has a different answer when asked about the purpose of these amounts of money.” - „Legalized bribe” for representatives of the state” 28 February 2008
„Receipt by officials of the Ministry of Finance (MF), Ministry of Economy and Trade (MET), as well as from other ministries of about MDL 900 on a monthly basis for quarterly participation at state enterprises’ board meetings, as representatives of the state, is nothing else than a “legalized bribe”. - „Justice „enriches” the Republic of Moldova with new homeless people” 13 March 2008
In case a disabled person is the subject to judicial investigation, he/she should benefit from a legal procedure taking into account fully his / her mental and physical condition. At least, this is provided by the Declaration on Disabled Persons’ Rights, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly. Despite the fact that the Republic of Moldova is a party to this Declaration, it seems that it is not applied in our country. - „Migrants’ money – bait for policemen” 13 March 2008
External migration of Moldovan citizens, thousands of children and minors left without parents’ supervision, generates new cases of corruption among policemen. Especially in rural settlements, they “supervise” the children whose parents left the country, insinuating that the latter may run the risk of being subjected to some criminal proceedings if they will not pay substantial fees. - „Prophylaxis” of marks for payment” 20 March 2008
On the eve of winter examinations, a number of students contacted the corruption prevention centres, reporting that university teachers asked for various amounts of money for an examination mark. In some cases, according to these students, the teachers even prepare their price-list for marks. - „Inflatable figures in the House of Nationalities” 20 March 2008
Representatives of various nations, who have lived in this geographical area for tens of years, left this place, because, according to them, “the roof of this house is leaking both literally and metaphorically”, “co-operation with nationalities was tuned into a business and we do not have money”, “only political and family interests are protected”. What is, in fact, happening under the roof of the building located on 109, Mateevici Str. in Chisinau?
Pe de o parte, «PCRM foloseşte măciuca puterii pentru a distruge opoziţia», pe de alta — «Procuratura consideră un eşec orice dosar pierdut în instanţele naţionale», consideră edilii inculpaţi.
On 26 March 2008 the Centre for Analysis and Prevention of Corruption presented the Report “Citizens Calling the Anti-Corruption Hot-Line: Need Civic Responsibility or… Courage?”
The report makes an analysis of telephone calls registered at the anti-corruption hotline 92-79-79, during the period 1 June 2007 – 29 February 2008. Further the main findings are presented.
During 9 months of hotline operation, 914 persons benefited from free legal advice. Only 16% of people that called the hotline reported information that could be related to an alleged act of corruption, other 84% reported actions that they confused with acts of corruption, which accounts for people’s erroneous perception of this phenomena.
The analysis of people who called anti-corruption hotline shows that persons who believe that they know about a corruption case, are not indifferent and are willing to report this act, are more likely to be men, aged between 41 and 60 years, employed in private sector. At the same time, the highest likelihood of correct understanding of corruption phenomena is associated with young people below 25 years, pupils and students, or public sector employees below 40 years, i.e. namely people who are less prone to report an act of corruption. Thus, the correct perception of corruption phenomenon is inversely dependent on age and directly dependent on unwillingness to report an act of corruption. It may be concluded that the country’s young generation has a better understanding of corruption, but their indifference deprives them of civic activism and responsibility needed to report the abuse, whereas the adult and old population, although not indifferent to corruption and willing to report it, is more prone to confuse corruption with other social negative phenomena, with advancement in age.
The most frequent corruption acts communicated though the hotline 92-79-79 were related to such sectors as education (30%), police (20%), local public authorities (13%) and health care (12%). Out of the total number of complaints about corruption acts, 90% were registered in public sector and 10% referred to corruption in private sector. At the same time, the majority of informants reported a feeling of fear regarding the authorities and the possibility to cooperate with them.
The operation of the hotline within the Centre for Analysis and Prevention of Corruption demonstrated that the population: 1) does not know and does not understand what corruption is, and 2) is afraid to report the alleged corruption cases and in general to communicate directly with public authorities.
Publication available only in Romanian language
