The labor union committee of the stat-run enterprise say they are ready to go as far as to the European Court for Human Rights to seek justice unless the domestic courts don't free the director of the enterprise, Valerian Vartic. On February 16, Vartic was sentenced to 10 years in jail on charges of abuse of authority, and the employees at MoldATSA believe the court delivered this judgment under pressure. Vartic was condemned for signing a contract which provided a number of employees with free dental care at the company's expense. Igor Bazgu, Vartic's lawyer, told a news conference on Monday that the conviction had no legal ground, as there was no offense committed, and Vartic's efforts were meant to improve the health of his employees. “We consider the sentence to be absurd, abusive and low for a state which strives to reach the standards of the democratic states”, said the lawyer. “To defend the dignity of MoldATSA's director, the employees are ready to take to the street, to go on hunger strike, or even take out the teeth treated with the help of that contract”, said Roman Toporov, the chairman of the company's labor organization. According to him, in the period from 2003 to 2005, 55 employees benefited from free dental care under those contracts, valued at 735,000 lei. “The dental services were paid for from the company's net profit, and that was done in full agreement with the law”, explained Toporov. The union members believe that the true reason for the conviction is a potential hostile takeover.