The Ciocana branch of the Chisinau City Court is expected today to decide who will remain the final owner of the two buildings - “Casa Modei” (“Fashion House”) and the building that earlier housed the insurance company ASITO. Starting at 10am, judge Constantin Damaschin will examine the appeal filed by businessman Veaceslav Platon, who claims the two buildings and asks to annul the Prosecutor General’s order to return the buildings to Vladimir Russu.

The companies that rent offices in the two buildings also expect the judge’s decision so as to know who to pay the monthly rent to as Veceslav Platon issued them with notices obliging them to transfer money for hire charges to his account or the account of his companies.

The first hearing was put off because the lawyer for Platon invoked his contact with a person infected with COVID-19. The second hearing was postponed after the lawyer asked the prosecutor to furnish the court with materials confirming the legality of the Prosecutor General’s order.

The current owner of the two buildings, businessman Vladimir Russu in a news conference at IPN said that if he does not manage to obtain justice in national courts, he is confident that the ECHR will rule in his favor.

For his part, Veceslav Platon insists that the buildings situated in central Chisinau belong to him and the court must restore his ownership rights over them.

On April 19, the Prosecutor General’s Office issued a press release saying Alexandr Stoianglo demanded that the Appeals Court and the Supreme Court of Justice should quash the court decisions of last December by which Veaceslav Platon was allowed to come into possession of the two buildings.