Sandu: Amnesty Law Amendments Created Risks

President Maia Sandu addressed the recent controversy surrounding the 2021 Amnesty Law, stating that amendments to the legislation introduced significant risks and vulnerabilities. She confirmed that law enforcement is currently investigating how these changes were made and who was responsible, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES

"From our analyses, the amendments created vulnerabilities that were exploited by individuals within the system," Sandu said, referring specifically to the judiciary and penitentiary sectors. She emphasized the need to determine why no proper risk analysis was conducted before these changes were implemented.

The President acknowledged that Moldova's justice reform is still incomplete and highlighted ongoing issues within the National Penitentiary Administration, where some officials are failing in their duties.

Sandu also outlined the steps being taken to contain the impact of the law, which had enabled the early release of dangerous inmates. Parliament has since passed a new interpretative law clarifying articles 91 and 92 of the Criminal Code, and the Constitutional Court has suspended processes related to the earlier releases.

The revised interpretation prevents individuals whose life sentences were reduced from benefiting again through early conditional release. These changes will also apply retroactively to those already freed.

Following the developments, the head of the National Penitentiary Administration, Anatolie Falcă, resigned last week at the request of Prime Minister Dorin Recean.