The President of Moldova’s Constitutional Court, Domnica Manole, has published her income declaration for 2025.
According to the filed documents, the judge earned more than 3.2 million lei over the year, or roughly 270,000 lei per month. Citizens who cannot even dream of such income are asking: where did the money come from, Domnica?
Salary, Pension, Compensation
According to the document published on March 18 on the website of the National Integrity Authority, the core of Manole’s income came from her salary at the Constitutional Court 994,000 lei for the year, or about 82,000 lei per month.
But that was far from all.
At the same time, the head of the Constitutional Court also receives a pension — 694,000 lei for the year, or more than 57,000 lei per month. On top of that came a one-time severance payment from the Constitutional Court in the amount of 256,000 lei, nearly 100,000 lei in travel allowances, and more than 1.1 million lei in compensation and temporary disability benefits.
A separate item is 538 euros more than 10,000 lei for research work at the Council of Europe.
Where Did the Compensation Come From?
The largest amount, 1.14 million lei, was paid to Manole by the Central Court of Appeal. This was neither salary nor a bonus, but payments awarded by court decision: compensation upon termination of employment, unpaid salary for the period of forced absence from work, and moral damages.
This relates to the events of 2019, when Manole was accused of issuing a knowingly unlawful ruling in the so-called “referendum case.” She was later acquitted, and the state, through the Ministry of Justice, compensated her for the costs of criminal prosecution.
Initially, in February 2023, the amount of moral damages was set at 800,000 lei, but two years later the Supreme Court of Justice reduced it to 300,000 lei. In the end, together with other payments in that case, the total exceeded one million lei.
Career and Controversies
Domnica Manole has headed the Constitutional Court since April 2020. She became a judge of the court through a parliamentary appointment in August 2019, after, according to media reports, failing competitions at the Superior Council of Magistracy and in the government. In August 2025, she was reappointed for a new six-year term.
During her time on the bench, Manole has repeatedly found herself at the center of political scandals. Critics point out that it was under her chairmanship that the Constitutional Court validated the results of the referendum without taking into account the restrictions faced by nearly 800,000 Moldovan citizens in Transnistria and Russia, who were unable to vote.
Property and Savings
Judging by the declaration, Manole does not live on work alone. In 2024, the family of the head of the Constitutional Court bought a Lexus NX 350H for 780,000 lei. The car, however, is registered in her husband’s name, and he uses it.
The couple also owns a 140-square-meter apartment, purchased in 2010 for 943,000 lei, a garage, a plot of land, and shares in three commercial companies.
Their bank accounts in Moldova and Romania hold more than 1.7 million lei, 214 euros, and 50,000 Romanian lei.
A Case That Raises Questions
The story of Domnica Manole’s income highlights several contradictions at once. A person holding the highest judicial office in the country receives both a salary and a pension at the same time, which is already unusual in itself.
At the same time, a substantial part of her income came from compensation paid by the state, which first subjected her to criminal prosecution and then paid for the mistakes of its own institutions.
Against the backdrop of declared anti-corruption efforts and calls for austerity, these figures look, at the very least, ambiguous. Especially when one recalls that the average pension in Moldova is about 4,000 lei, while public sector wages rarely exceed 10,000–12,000 lei.
The head of the Constitutional Court receives more in a month than most citizens earn in a year. And, judging by all this, no one seems surprised.
