The Supreme Council of Magistracy (SCM) at a meeting on June 15 approved two new judges of the Supreme Court of Justice who successfully passed the test of professional ethics and integrity (vettimg): judge of the capital court Ana Kucerescu and doctor of law Elena Croitor. The SCM did not approve the third candidate, who also successfully passed the vetting process—metropolitan court judge Oksana Parfeni. We tell you what is known about each of the three contenders.
Ana Cucerescu
Cucerescu graduated from the Faculty of Law of the State University of Moldova in 2007. After that, she worked in the apparatus of the Supreme Council of Magistrates, and in 2011 she was appointed a judge at the Balti court. In 2015 he was transferred to the capital court.
At the Chisinau court, Cucerescu was part of a group of judges who deal with high-profile corruption cases. First of all, she is known for her verdict in the case of the Bashkan of Gagauzia, Eugenia Gtsul, and the secretary of the Chisinau office of the unconstitutional Sor party, Svetlana Popan. Cucerescu was also a member of the board that convicted the ex-chairman of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, in the case of the theft of a billion
According to her declaration of income and property, in 2035 she received 379.9 thousand lei from a salary in court, as well as 57.3 thousand lei from teaching and scientific activities at the Institute of Criminal Reforms and the National Institute of Justice. She also indicated in her income 60 thousand lei donations from Andrei Cucerescu. In addition, in 2025, the judge took out a bank loan in the amount of 300 thousand lei.
As for property, the judge declared a 2025 Hyundai Kona car, purchased in the same year for 486.7 thousand lei. In the real estate section, the judge did not indicate objects that were her personal property, but noted the existence of other property rights to an apartment with an area of 90 square meters and a garage rental agreement.
Elena Kroitor
In 2012, Croitor received her Doctor of Law degree from the State University of Moldova. From 2005 to 2019, she taught at the Faculty of Law. Over the years, she has also worked as a consultant at the Institute for Criminal Reform (2012–2013), as a program coordinator at Terre des Hommes (2014) and as a chief consultant at the Ministry of Justice (2019–2020). From 2015 to 2016, and then from 2021 to 2025, Croitor worked in the representative office of the American Bar Association (ABA ROLI Moldova), holding positions from consultant to senior legal adviser.
An audit by the vetting commission did not reveal any violations of the criteria of ethical and financial integrity. The commission examined in detail the sources of financing for the major renovation of the house in Straseni, where Kroitor runs a joint household with his parents. The commission ruled that the family’s income, including the father’s earnings in Russia and the UK, as well as the mother’s salary and pension, fully covered the costs incurred. Personal expenses from the bank account over the past five years amounted to 659.4 thousand lei. In addition, the commission verified the funds for the purchase of three cars (Ford Focus, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5) belonging to Elena Croitor’s brother, and confirmed that they were purchased with his legitimate income from work and business in the IT sector in Romania.
Oksana Parfeni
The SCM did not approve the third candidate for the position of judge of the Supreme Court of Justice, judge of the capital’s court Oksana Parfeni. She scored 75 out of 100 points.
Parfeni graduated from the State University of Moldova in 2004. After that, she worked in a law office, and in 2005 she began working as a court secretary in the capital’s Buiucani sector. Since 2008, she was an assistant judge at the Supreme Court of Justice, and in 2024 she was appointed judge of the Chisinau court. In 2023, Parfeni was temporarily transferred to work at the Supreme Court of Justice.
The judge’s name is rarely mentioned in the media. It is known that in 2021 she applied for the position of member of the Commission for Assessing the Performance of Judges at the Supreme Council of Magistracy.
Parfeni declared her main income in the form of a salary at the Supreme Court of Justice in the amount of 668 thousand lei, as well as the remuneration of a bailiff in the amount of 231 thousand lei. Additionally, she received income from other activities: 11.1 thousand lei from the Center for Women’s Rights, 10.8 thousand lei from the National Institute of Justice. Also in 2024, the judge took out a loan in the amount of 160 thousand lei.
She owns several real estate properties: an agricultural land plot with an area of 0.0811 hectares worth 197.2 thousand lei, a half share in an apartment with an area of 36.7 sq. m, an apartment under construction with an area of 42.4 sq. m. worth 312.6 thousand lei, as well as the right to own other real estate with an area of 80 sq. m. Among the vehicles, she declared a Toyota RAV4 car. 2023 model, purchased in 2024 for 675.9 thousand lei. In addition, the judge indicated the presence of funds in bank accounts in the amount of more than 282 thousand lei.
In Moldova, the process of external assessment of professional ethics and integrity of judges (vetting) has been ongoing since 2022. According to the procedure, all current judges of the Supreme Court of Justice and candidates for this court are required to undergo verification by a vetting commission before being appointed. If the candidate meets the criteria of integrity, then the Higher Office of the Magistracy must approve the results of the assessment and allow the candidate to participate in the competition for the vacant position.
In the summer of 2023, almost all SCJ judges resigned. One of the main reasons is the reluctance of judges to undergo vetting, failure of which means dismissal, deprivation of a judge’s pension and special payments for length of service. Due to the mass departure of judges, the Supreme Council of Magistracy was forced to temporarily transfer judges from other instances to the Supreme Court.
Vetting in Moldova began as part of justice reform. The first vetting commission or Pre-vetting checked candidates for self-government bodies – the Supreme Council of Magistrates (SCM) and the Supreme Council of Prosecutors (SCP). Her work began in the summer of 2022. Later, two more commissions were formed to check judges and prosecutors. Commission No. 2, responsible for checking judges, began work in July 2023. Its task is to check judges of the Courts of Appeal, judges and candidates to the Supreme Court of Justice, as well as chairmen and vice-chairmen of courts. Commission No. 3, dealing with prosecutors, began work in December 2023. She must check the prosecutors of specialized prosecutor’s offices, the leadership of the General Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the heads of territorial prosecutor’s offices and their deputies.
Each commission consists of three Moldovan lawyers (two are appointed from the ruling majority, one from the opposition). The commissions also include three international experts recommended by external partners. The original deadline for completing vetting has been moved from December 31, 2025 to December 31, 2026. But even after this, the commissions will continue to work until the completion of the consideration by the Supreme Court of Justice of all complaints from judges and prosecutors who do not agree with the decision of the vetting commissions.
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