Mayor general of Chisinau Ion Ceban sued Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița and Minister of Justice Sergiu Litvinenco. He demands public denial after the Premier in a news conference said that the National Alternative Movement is on the U.S. sanctions list. The mayor said this is not true and the representatives of the government intentionally disseminated incorrect information so as to spoil the image of the future party NAM, IPN reports.
“The list of sanctioned persons includes those who benefitted from illegal financing during election campaigns, with this financing being used to steal the authentic vote of the citizens, Igor Dodon and the National Alternative Movement,” Premier Natalia Gavrilița stated in a news conference on October 26. Ion Ceban said the Premier’s statement is erroneous and Natalia Gavrilița and Minister Sergiu Litvinenco were therefore sued. If the court rules in his favor, the mayor in respect of damages will demand that Natalia Gavrilița and Sergiu Litivenco should sweep the Great National Assembly Square.
“After Natalia Gavrilița and Sergiu Litivnenco made those evidently tendentious and false statements, I demanded that they should refute the information or we will meet in court. I assure you that they will sweep the Great National Assembly Square because what they said in public is not true. Over 400 titles of news items presented manipulative information about me and the National Alternative Movement. Besides suing Natalia Gavrilița and Sergiu Litivinenco, I also demand that the media outlets should come with denials. We already went to the Audiovisual Council and the Prosecutor’s Office,” Ion Ceban stated in the program “Secrets of the Power” on JurnalTV channel.
A press release issued by the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau says Yuriy Gudilin’s team offered support to an opposition political group, the National Alternative Movement (NAM). Yuriy Gudilin is a Russian citizen who is on the sanctions list.
“If there is evidence, we want to see it. The Ambassador of the U.S. specified that Ion Ceban is not concerned, the NAM is not concerned as a party or movement. They didn’t say that I or the NAM accepted money or services. The Premier’s statement that the NAM is on the U.S. sanctions list is not true. This is serious for a party that is being founded. We received applications from many persons who want to join the team. The Premier made the statement intentionally so as to prevent the people from joining the NAM,” said the mayor.
The U.S. sanctions list includes nine individuals and 12 entities, among who are oligarchs widely recognized for capturing and corrupting Moldova’s political and economic institutions and those acting as instruments of Russia’s global influence campaign.
