Members and sympathizers of the Party of Socialists (PSRM) have protested in front of the Cahul District Council to support the head of Cahuil district Marcel Cenușă who is investigated for passive corruption, active corruption and abuse of power. The protest is to continue at the Cahul Appeals Court where the appeal filed by Marcel Cenușă’s lawyers against the decision to place their client under house arrest is to be examined. MPs of the PSRM intend to provide personal guarantees for Cenușă to be investigated outside remand and to further manage the district, IPN reports.
PSRM executive secretary Vlad Batrîncea said it is a bad-taste show as the hearing of the Appeals Court was timed to coincide with the meeting of the District Council in which an acting head of Cahul district is to be named. The MP called on the Cahul district councilors not to take part in this shameful meeting and not to be accomplices in these wrongdoings, noting the local public administration should not become involved in this disgraceful game.
MP Grigore Novac in the protest said the PAS government keeps the judiciary in Moldova under control, as Vlad Plahotniuc did earlier, and uses this as a cudgel against the opposition. “Mister Cenușă came and said that the government should offer support for helping the Ukrainian refugees and he was detained. We see how prosecutors involved in the appropriation of businesses remain unpunished. The Government forgot about Plahotniuc, about high-profile cases and turned its attention to a district head,” said Grigore Novac, noting the justice sector will be ultimately freed and the prosecutors to blame will be held accountable.
Maxim Lebedinschi, of the Executive Committee of the PSRM, said the central authorities’ actions against the head of Cahuil district represent an offense. Marcel Cenușă achieved some of the best results in the country, appropriately fulfilled his duties and excellently managed the flow of Ukrainian refugees. He wasn’t afraid to say in public that the central authorities do not contribute, do not allocate the necessary funds to help those affected. Attempts are being made to prevent him from fulfilling his duties.
The protesters demanded to ensure a fair trial and to investigate Marcel Cenușa outside detention.
The head of Cahul district and another eight persons, among who are employees of the Cahul District Council, a mayor and businessmen, were arrested on charges of passive corruption, active corruption and abuse of power. They are accused of causing damage of over 1 million lei to the district budget after fixing tender contests. When the period of the arrest expired, the Marcel Cenușa was placed under house arrest.
