Valentina Leskaj and Ögmundur Jónasson, co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by the Republic of Moldova, paid their first fact-finding visit to the country on February 22-23, 2016. These ascertained mistrust and lack of confidence in government and a widely shared feeling that the country has been “captured” by oligarchs. In their conclusions, which were published on the PACE’s website, the co-rapporteurs say the court hearings of Vlad Filat should become public, IPN reports.
“During our open and frank meetings with the authorities, we were assured that the country would remain committed to fulfill its obligations and commitments towards the Council of Europe. However, various interlocutors, including representatives of civil society, expressed their deep concern, mistrust and lack of confidence in parliament, government and state institutions which seems to be widespread. We also felt that there is a widely shared feeling that the country has been “captured” by oligarchs perceived to control a significant part of political stakeholders and officials, the justice system and the economy, which could prove devastating for the democratic foundations of the country.
“In this adverse context, the authorities in place bear a special responsibility towards the population. Authorities are expected to deliver credible reforms that have an immediate impact on the consolidation of democratic institutions – and to seriously address the legitimate concerns of the citizen with respect to rule of law, democracy and human rights, but also transparency and accountability of politicians and officials.”
Therefore, the PACE co-rapporteurs encouraged the authorities to adopt, and above all, implement, the announced reforms pertaining to the independence of the judiciary, the plurality and independence of the media, the fight against corruption and the consolidation of the banking system.
“We welcome the latest developments concerning the case of Grigore Petrenco, former PACE member, whose remand detention was suddenly changed into house arrest on the first day of our visit. Mr Petrenco’s release from prison is to be valued; it is however only an interim step in an ongoing procedure. We reiterate our call that Mr Petrenco, as any other citizen, should be entitled to fair trial with full procedural guarantees. The setting up of a parliamentary sub-committee chaired by the opposition, as proposed by the Speaker of the parliament, could play a useful role in this respect to supervise the procedure,” said the co-rapporteurs.
The PACE co-rapporteurs also visited former Prime Minister Vlad Filat in pre-trial detention in prison 13, and evoked his detention conditions. “As a Member of Parliament and chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, he raised the issue of his limited access to his party and to the parliament. We were also informed by the General Prosecutor that, at that stage, court hearings of Mr Filat are held in camera. Given the fact that this prominent case relates to the most important fraud in recent history, we hope however that this hearings can soon become public, as it is in the public interest to have the process as transparent as possible,” they said.
During their visit, the co-rapporteurs discussed with the Minister of Interior the action undertaken during the mass protests, which brought tens of thousands of people in the streets in the past months, and culminated in violent protests on January 20, 2016 in front of the parliament. “We invite police forces to further show restraint, and refrain from using excessive force. We urged that all allegations of police misconduct, not to mention allegations of fabricated evidence, must be convincingly investigated in order to ensure trust in the police. We were assured that all measures would be taken to guarantee the citizens’ freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. In this context, we hope that the authorities will also refrain from undertaking any legal action against protesters that could have a chilling effect on critical voices”, the co-rapporteurs concluded.
