The swiftness with which the prosecutor general was arrested, in only several hours of the institution of criminal proceedings, generates concern among jurists. They consider an assigned persecutor cannot examine all the related materials during several hours without being informed about this beforehand. The rapidity of the developments arouses suspicions. Alexandr Stoianoglo was arrested during a record period of time and this leaves room for interpretations and suppositions that the arrest was thoroughly prepared beforehand. Other jurists think the Prosecutor General anticipated the events as two days ago he made a series of accusations against the government, civil society and representatives of diplomatic missions, IPN reports.
“The starting of a criminal case against the Prosecutor General is an exceptional measure that necessitates increased attention. A designated prosecutor, who does not know that he will be chosen or we will believe that this is conspiracy, in a very short period of time takes legal action. This means that the assigned prosecutor had to very carefully examine the materials, to decide if the conditions are met and then to formulate his decision. I would ask him to sit down and write the text so that we see how much time he needs to write a page. The responsible body decided to arrest Alexandr Stoianoglo in an hour of the notification,” jurist Nicolae Eșanu, ex-minister of justice, stated in the program “Black Box” on TV8 channel.
Anticorruption expert Cristina Țărnă, ex-vice director of the National Anticorruption Center, said that the discussions held by the Superior Council of Prosecutors yesterday predicted such a development, but it is now premature to say if the procedure by which Alexandr Stoianoglo was arrested was illegal or not.
“The Prosecutor General’s sharp statements of the last few days came in the wake of that claim. He anticipated things and tried to build a defense line in advance. In CSP’s meeting, the Council’s president Angela Motuzoc, who is an advocate of Stoianoglo, also had her defense line ready,” stated Cristina Țărnă.
Political commentators noted the accusations made against Alexandr Stoianoglo – abuse of power, misconduct in office, passive corruption and falsehood – are more than enough for arresting a suspect.
“He was accused on four charges. It is a complex set of articles and it is hard for a prosecutor to realize what it is all about. On the other hand, the offenses of which he is suspected are very serious and the prosecutor took this decision in a move to prevent other, much more serious offenses. It comes to state security,” said political commentator Roman Mihăeș.
Alexandr Stoianoglo was taken to the remand prison of the Chisinau Police Division in the evening of October 5. The Superior Council of Prosecutors is expected to nominate an acting prosecutor general today. Under the law, the Prosecutor General and his deputies are suspended from office for the period of the investigation.
