Lawsuit entered by former staffers of municipal broadcasters to be re-judged

The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) has sent for re-examination to the Court of Appeals, by changing the panel of judges, the request for legal action filed by the former staffers of the public stations “Antena C” and Euro TV”. The lawyer for the staffers, Maria Orlov told Info-Prim Neo that she has foreseen that SCJ will take such a decision. By sending back the case for re-examination, it is delayed on purpose. This procedure will last at least half a year or even more and in the end the result will be the same as in the first case. The claimants will have to appeal again in the SCJ. According to the lawyer, these actions aim at tiring out the journalists, so that they give up the initiated legal action. One of the plaintiffs, Ecaterina Stratan has also said that she was expecting such a decision, because as long as the communist party is ruling the country another decision cannot exist. Stratan considers that the lawsuit is delayed so that the case reaches as hard as possible the ECHR. Also yesterday, SJC rejected the request in a lawsuit entered by the consumers of the two stations against the Broadcasting Coordination Council. Orlov says he will go with this case to the ECHR if need be. 36 employees of those two stations requested to urgently suspend the sale procedure of the two institutions and annul the precursory normative documents; to cancel the former mayor’s orders regarding the appointment of new managers of the TV channel and radio station; to oblige CMC and interim mayor to re-establish the proper functioning conditions of the institutions; to oblige CMC and interim mayor to pay damages amounting to MLD 100 thousand for each claimant. Subsequently, the Court of Appeals rejected the request of the claimants. CMC decided on November 30, with the vote of the communist and Christian-democrat councillors to sell the two institutions. On December 14, the same councillors decided to organise an investment contest for selling “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” and dismissed the administrators of the two stations. Both decisions were disputed by the employees, media organisations and politicians, qualifying them as illegal and politically motivated.