Chisinau City Hall accuses councillors of forgery

The City Hall of Chisinau municipality accuses a group of councillors of forgery. They assert in turn that the allegations against them are but a provocation. According to a press release sent on Thursday morning (December 7) by the Public Relations Department (PRD) of the City Hall and quoted by Info-Prim Neo, “certain signatures of the 18 municipal councillors, who sought to convene the extraordinary sitting of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) in order to resume debates on the item regarding the reorganisation of the municipal stations “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau”, have been forged”. As the quoted source reports, “certain councillors say they did not see or sign such a petition” submitted to interim mayor and “are puzzled to find their names and signatures in the list”. Thus, the City Hall announces that “is not necessary to convene the requested extraordinary sitting”. According to the press release, “after tracing the forged signatures, interim mayor Vasile Ursu asked CMC interim secretary Nicolae Manastarli to examine the created situation in compliance with the legislation. On Wednesday evening, being invited in the office of the CMC interim secretary, councillor Oleg Cernei, the petition’s author, took away the petition and disappeared from the City Hall”. PRD says that “the petition registered in the City Hall office, which has the mayor’s resolution, is an official document and civil servants are accountable for it”. Requested by Info-Prim Neo, councillor from “Moldova Noastra” Alliance Oleg Cernei was surprised at this allegation, qualified by him absolutely a groundless one. Cernei said that on Thursday, at 10.00, along with other three councillors that signed the statement – Mihai Roscovan, Pavel Caba, Ion Mamaliga -, presented to interim mayor Vasile Ursu the petition including 17 reconfirmed signatures. At this sitting attended by CMC interim secretary, it was decided on convening the CMC extraordinary sitting in connection with the situation of the two municipal stations for Thursday December 14. In addition to the allegations about taking away of the petition, Cernei noted that it was submitted on December 5, including signatures of 18 councillors. “Ursu adopted the resolution but mentioned in the petition (in writing) that one of the councillors Andrei Cojocaru didn’t sign the petition. Next day, Ursu stated that there are doubts as regards the veracity of certain signatures, but when he was asked whether his statements are related to the respective petition, interim mayor said that Manastarli has such intimations. But he could not present such intimations and handed to Cernei the petition of the 18 councillors for reconfirmation of signatures”, Cernei asserts. As he states, all the signatures were reconfirmed except Cojocaru’s one, who didn’t answer the phone and could not be reached. The same petition including 17 reconfirmed signatures was handed to interim mayor on Thursday morning. In compliance with the legislation, the mayor is obliged to convene the extraordinary sitting at the request of one third of the total number of the local elected councillors. Oleg Cernei thinks that City Hall’s statement is a provocation launched by PRD to justify the failure of putting into effect the councillors’ petition and organising the CMC extraordinary session intended for resuming debates on the issue of “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” stations. The attempts of Info-Prim Neo reporter to reach councillor Andrei Cojocaru have failed. One of his colleagues stated that he is absent and is not familiar with his schedule. CMC decided on the reorganisation of “Antena C” and “Euro TV” municipal stations by putting them for auction at the sitting scheduled for November 30. In this way, municipal authorities followed the Broadcasting Code that stipulates that “local administrations have no right to found and support electronic media institutions”. On Tuesday, December 5, three municipal councillors organized a press conference where they made public the petition signed by 18 colleagues calling to convene a CMC extraordinary sitting in order to resume debates on the item concerning Antena C and Euro TV Chisinau stations. The CMC extraordinary session requested by a group of 17 councillors will be held on December 14.