New legislative amendments related to trial procedure of criminal cases in absentia, to the attention of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and criminal investigation officers

28. 03. 2023

“The trial procedure of criminal cases in the absence of the defendant” is the generic of the continuous training seminar held today, March 28, 2023. The event brings together judges, prosecutors, lawyers and criminal investigation officers, who will be trained by Jeremy McBride and Igor Dolea, Council of Europe consultants.

In the opening of the event spoke William Massolin, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, Ecaterina Popa, ad interim Director of the National Institute of Justice and Aliona Cojocaru, Project Officer of the CoE. In her speech, Ecaterina Popa thanked Mr. Massolin, who is at the end of mandate, for the good cooperation and support in achieving several  judicial training objectives of the national legal system representatives

The training program aims to increase the participants’ knowledge and practical skills regarding the management of criminal cases in the absence of the defendant. Thus, topics related to the circumstances in which absentee trials are allowed under the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, the requirements for notifying the accused about the planned process and how to conduct a trial in the absence of the defendant will be addressed. The beneficiaries will also be initiated in the European Court of Human Rights standards on the trial of the case in the absence of the defendant.

On May 25, 2023, the course will be resumed for another group of beneficiaries.

The activity is organized by the National Institute of Justice and the Council of Europe within the project "Strengthening the Human Rights Compliant Criminal Justice System in the Republic of Moldova”.