Chisinau councilor Oleg Cernei, who is running for a new term as an independent candidate in the June 14 local elections, accuses a number of jurists of the Chisinau City Hall of illegally selling 50 plots in Chisinau alongside lawyers and judges. Cernei told a news conference that he reached such a conclusion when he headed the commission of inquiry into the fraudulent management of land. Contacted by phone by IPN, the head of the City Hall’s Law Division Diana Gurschi said that Oleg Cernei’s statements are untruthful and that the commission of inquiry never had a meeting and never asked for information from the City Hall’s jurists.

Oleg Cernei said 50 plots that are over 27 ha in area were appropriated based on court decisions.  The 13 jurists delegated by the Chisinau Municipal Council to represent the local authorities in court either didn’t appear at the hearings or didn’t challenge or appeal the decisions on time, showing thus professional negligence. “It was established that all the jurist of the City Hall acted in collusion in these cases,” he stated.

On the other hand, Diana Gurschi said the commission of inquiry actually identified no irregularities in the mentioned cases. “Nobody asked for information or explanations from me or the Division’s jurists,” she stated. “The commission’s table includes cases that are still being tried and haven’t been yet lost.”

According to Diana Gurschi, if a person has lived on a plot for over 20 years, the local administration must offer this person ownership rights over it, not take him to court. She noted that Oleg Cernei behaves like an accomplice of those who want to sue persons who de jure have the right to own the land on which they have lived for 20 years and more.