Moldova found guilty in three cases at Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday, November 6, found Moldova guilty in the cases of “Musuc vs. Moldova”, “Stepuleac vs. Moldova” and “Banca VIAS vs. Moldova”, ordering the Government to pay the plaintiffs damages totalling EUR 328,000. In the case filed by the leader of the Social-Democrat Party Eduard Musuc the Court held unanimously that his detention on remand had been unlawful. It found a further violation on account of the applicant being required to pay bail and then being detained for failing to pay. The Court awarded Musuc EUR 9,000 for non-pecuniary damage and EUR 3,000 for costs and expenses. In the case filed by Gheorghe Stepuleac, the director of a security agency, the Court held unanimously that there had been violations of articles concerning prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, concerning the failure to investigate Stepuleac’s complaints about intimidation in his cell, and concerning Stepuleac’s two arrests without there being a reasonable suspicion that he had committed a crime. The Court awarded Stepuleac EUR 12,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage and EUR 3,000 for costs and expenses. In the case of “Banca VIAS vs. Moldova”, the Court found violations concerning the failure to enforce a final judgment in the applicant company’s favour. The plaintiff shall be paid EUR 301,000 for pecuniary damage. Currently, there are some 1,700 pending cases against Moldova at the Strasbourg Court.