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Lawyer accuses Ungheni prosecutors, judges of covering up fatal hit-and-run


https://www.ipn.md/en/lawyer-accuses-ungheni-prosecutors-judges-of-covering-up-fatal-hit-7967_1066424.html

Lawyer Vitalie Țaulean is accusing prosecutors and judges in Ungheni district of sweeping under the rug a hit-and-run that killed a 31-year-old father of two in January 2018.

According to the lawyer of the victim’s family, the investigators and prosecutors handling the case purposefully misinterpreted facts to make the driver appear innocent, while the judges refused to look at all the evidence presented by the defense. Eventually, all the charges against the driver have been dropped and the case dismissed.

Vitalie Țaulean told a press conference that the driver, a Ungheni businessman, claimed that he could not avoid the impact, since the victim was lying on the road in an inebriated state. However, Țaulean says that the true reason why the accident could not be avoided is that the driver was going at 100 km/h, or 50 km/h above the speed limit in built-up areas, and the prosecution and judges failed to acknowledge that.

The impact was so powerful that the victim was propelled 21 meters ahead, after which the victim was also ran over. The driver didn’t stop immediately and returned to the scene only later.

Ioana, the victim’s mother, says investigators fabricated evidence with the involvement of the investigative judge. In particular, she claims the crime scene reconstruction was manipulated.

Proceedings lasted for more than a year, and since all domestic remedies have been exhausted, the family intends to seek justice at the European Court of Human Rights.