In Moldova, some of the persons wo commit offenses, have immunity and escape criminal punishment. This is also the case of Nick Georgiadis, who was featured in a Moldovan journalistic investigation about a network of pedophiles who acted in Moldova and Ukraine. This was acquitted in Moldova, but was recently convicted to two years and four months in jail in Greece. The subject was discussed in a press club meeting staged by the Journalistic Investigations Center, IPN reports.
According to the Center’s president Cornelia Cozonac, Nick Georgiadis is a Greek official who came to Moldova to provide consultancy to the Ministry of Economy. He enjoyed diplomatic immunity and escaped thus punishment here. “There are abused children, but the state does not offer them protection,” stated Cornelia Cozonac.
Olga Ceaglei, author of the journalistic investigation, started work on the investigation in 2011, after representatives of “La Strada” Center in a news conference spoke about a phenomenon in Moldova, when boys became victims of pedophiles. She identified a portal with free access intended for foreigners who looked for escorting services provided by boys aged 15-16. The clients of the website were from Greece, Germany, Thailand and other countries. The network was finally annihilated, but the clients escaped punishment. Among these were the Greek official, a Danish priest and a German service member.
Aggelos Provolisianos, a journalist from Greece, said he learned about the involvement of the Greek official in this case in 2015. The diplomat was close to the head of the opposition of the New Democracy Party of Greece. A local publication followed and wrote about this case. It is strange that the prosecutors in Greece didn’t ask for documents about Nick Georgiadis’s acts here from their Moldovan colleagues. These documents should be send to Greece as a hearing in the case of the official accused of pedophilia will be held at the Appeals Court there in several months.
Alexandru Beșleagă, senior investigation officer of the Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Special Cases, said the investigation continues and three day ago there was arrested one more pedophile of this group, who is the 16th suspect. The suspects who then had immunity in Moldova, one from Greece and another one from Denmark, were to be held accountable on the territory of their native countries. The other persons were brought to justice here. For sexual services, the minors received 200-300 lei or 500 lei in the case of the boys who appeared on the website.
Natalia Bayram, lawyer who represented in court a number of victims, said that besides the Greek citizen who was brought to justice in his country, a priest involved in the scheme was held accountable in Denmark, but not for acts committed in Moldova, but for deeds in his country. “Maybe the authorities of our state should learn particular lessons as our children could not be protected by our authorities and didn’t enjoy effective justice,” she stated.
According to a study carried out by the Prosecutor General’s Office, a larger number of cases when children became victims of offenses of a sexual character was recorded in 2018. There were started 373 criminal cases over sexual abuse, as opposed to 332 cases in 2017.
