The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in White Plains recently honored Veronica Dragalin, chief of the Anticorruption Prosecution Office for the Republic of Moldova, with its 2023 Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence at a ceremony in New York City attended by fellow prosecutors and other members of the legal community. Dragalin, a former assistant U.S. Attorney, was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the field of criminal prosecution and excellence in prosecutorial practice and praised for her commitment and courage in leading the fight against corruption in her native country of Moldova.
A dual citizen born and raised in the Republic of Moldova and educated in the United States, Dragalin was introduced by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Schleifer, a friend and former colleague, who spoke of her unique journey to find her passion as a successful prosecutor in the U.S.”” fulfilling the American dream and now giving all she”™s received back into the world for the greater good. “She has gone way above and beyond the call of duty, taking on the role at great risk to her life,” Schleifer said.
During the presentation of the award, benefactor Robert S. Tucker, CEO of T&M USA LLC, spoke of the critical importance of the rule of law and of the fundamental principle that “no man is above the law.”
“These words are the compass for all great prosecutors past and present, and especially for the one we are honoring here today,” said Tucker. “In these fraught times, the role of the prosecutor is more vital than ever. And more than ever it takes courage and resolve to uphold the rule of law.”
Dragalin left Moldova at the age of 8, eventually coming to the U.S. as a teenager and receiving an undergraduate degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She spent the first years of her career as an associate at the international law firm, Jones Day. After working as a lawyer on civil litigation and international criminal investigations, in 2016, she became a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles where she worked in the Public Corruption & Civil Rights Section and served as the office”™s hate crimes coordinator.
On Aug. 1, 2022, Dragalin began her current mandate as the chief of the Anticorruption Prosecution Office for the Republic of Moldova, taking on the challenging role for a country with a long history of systemic political corruption at an especially turbulent time in the region. Her office of approximately 130 personnel currently handles criminal corruption investigations and prosecutions against high-level officials, including the ex-president, the suspended prosecutor general, members of parliament, judges and prosecutors.
She is already making an impact in her new role within a short time.
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University offers JD and Masters”™ of Law degrees in both environmental and international law, as well as a Doctor of Juridical Science in environmental law. The school, on the Pace campus in White Plains, opened its doors in 1976 and has more than 9,000 alumni around the world.
