The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova appointed today two international members to the Prosecutor Vetting Commission, to fill the vacancies following the end of the mandates of Pierangelo Padova (5 February 2026) and Saskia de Vries (1 May 2026). The newly appointed members are Bernard Lavigne and Herman von Hebel.
Bernard Lavigne is a French magistrate with over 40 years of experience in criminal justice, including 33 years as a judge and prosecutor at first instance and appellate levels in France. He has served as Chief Public Prosecutor and Deputy General Prosecutor, led complex criminal investigations, supervised judicial police, and managed prosecution strategy. Internationally, he was Team Leader in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, directing investigations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including war crimes and crimes against humanity cases. He also acted as liaison magistrate in several regions, coordinating extradition and mutual legal assistance.
Herman von Hebel is a Dutch jurist with over 30 years of experience in international justice and judicial governance. He served as Chairperson of the Pre-Vetting Commission in Moldova, leading the evaluation of judges and prosecutors who aimed to become members of The Superior Council of Magistracy and the Superior Council of Prosecutors. He is a judge at the Court of Appeal Den Bosch, the Netherlands, and previously held senior leadership roles as Registrar of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He also served in senior positions at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.