Local authorities deny accusations that they delay Antena C & Euro TV case on purpose

Chisinau authorities deny the accusations that they intentionally delay the reexamination of the case of the former municipal broadcasters “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” against the City Hall and the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) at the Court of Appeal. Veaceslav Popa, interim head of the City Hall’s Law Division, says that the attorney for the City Hall and the City Council at the trial asked the court to postpone the examination of the case until her proxy rights are renewed. According to Veaceslav Popa, the previous attorney Carolina Lungu is on sick leave. When the new representative Natalia Sula asked for the case dossier and presented the power of attorney signed by Vasile Ursu and former CMC, the judge said that she should have a power of attorney signed by the current Chisinau administration so as to prevent a possible appeal against the future decision. Given that the power is delegated by mayoral ordinance and by CMC decision, the Law Division has already prepared a relevant draft decision, but the issue was not yet included on the agenda of the Council, Veaceslav Popa said. Deputy mayor of Chisinau Lucia Culev expressed her bewilderment at the fact that the judge asked for the power of attorney to be renewed, with no such requirements being put forward at the summer trial at the Supreme Court of Justice and at the September 26 hearing at the Court of Appeal. When the judges do not want to be cooperative, they invoke convenient procedures and interpretations, Lucia Culev said. Earlier, the lawyer for the broadcasters Maria Orlov and the former deputy director of the ratio station “Antena C” Ecaterina Stratan told Info-Prim Neo that the representatives of the City Hall and of CMC try to postpone the trial in concert with Judge Ion Secrieru.