quality of a prosecutor’s work and individual performance are supervised by hierarchically superior prosecutors up to the Prosecutor General. Individuals can complain of���������������� ������������������ a prosecutor’s acts or behaviour to hierarchically superior prosecutors and then to �������������� the ����������� court. Defence lawyers practice law on the basis of a license issued by the Ministry of Justice according to the Law on the Bar.39 A lawyer represents the client on the basis of a written contract, except in cases where the client is the husband/wife or relative of the lawyer to the fourth degree.40 In legal aid cases, the lawyer represents the client on the basis of a contract the lawyer signs with the Territorial Office of the National Legal Aid Council after the latter nominates the lawyer.41 The lawyer’s authority is further confirmed and delineated (i) in cases of private representation by the mandate issued by the lawyer’s office, which indicates the lawyer’s and client’s names, the lawyer’s license number, the date of the contract and the extent of the lawyer’s competences in the respective case; or (ii) in legal aid cases by the description of legal aid representation.42 The quality of legal assistance in individual cases can be assessed by the Ethics and Discipline Commission of the Bar Association in cases when there is a complaint by a client. A general quality assurance mechanism within the Bar does not exist. 2.2. Court Premises and Facilities Monitor������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� s observed that �������������������������������������������������������������������������� in general court premises are still inadequate. Some District Courts do not have separate buildings, but share facilities with other public institutions such as the territorial office of the Fiscal Inspectorate or the district Pretura (the local subdivision of the executive office of public administration). Sharing buildings with other state institutions negatively affects the dignity of the courts and the perception of their independence, and leads to situations in which court corridors and areas surrounding court buildings are crowded with people unrelated to court proceedings. Because the buildings in which many of the District Courts in Chişinău are placed were initially designed for institutions other than courts, they are often���������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� inadequate and inappropriate for court purposes. The main problem is������������������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������������������� the design of these buildings������������������������ ,����������������������� which have many small rooms that can be used as judges’ offices but few rooms large enough to serve as courtrooms able to������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ accommodate both the parties and the public. While the number of courtrooms varies among the District Courts, none of the District Courts has a sufficient number of courtrooms to guarantee that all trials are held in courtrooms. The ratios of judges to courtrooms in the Chişinău District ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Courts are as follows: Botanica 16:3, Buiucani 17:2, Centru 15:1, Ciocana 12:2 and Rîşcani 17:3. These ratios probably account at least in part for the high percentage of hearings held in judges’ offices, illustrated in the following table: 39 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� In practice only licensed lawyers represent clients in criminal proceedings, although, according to Art. 67 para (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, the defence lawyer can be: (1) the lawyer, (2) other persons authorized by law to act as defence lawyer, and (3) a foreign lawyer, when assisted by a local lawyer. The meaning of the phrase “other persons authorized by law to act as defence lawyer” in the legislation is unclear. 40 ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� See Art. 9 para. (2) and Art. 52 para (1) of the Law on Bar, No. 1260 of 19 July 2002, which entered into force on 13 December 2002, with subsequent amendments. 41 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� See Art. 46 para. (1) of the Law on Bar, as well as Art.s 69 and 70 of the Criminal Procedure Code. 42 ����������������������������������������� See Art. 52 para. (2) of the Law on Bar. 27