As many as 1,476 persons were freed from detention in 2011-2016 following the dropping of charges or cases or the passing of acquittal sentences by courts. This figure for 2006-2011 stood at 1,079 persons. The data were provided by the acting director of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions Aureliu Suhan, justice lieutenant-colonel, following an inquiry made by IPN News Agency.
Lawyer for Promo-LEX Association Vadim Vieru has told IPN that taking into account the number of persons held in Moldova’s penitentiaries, the number of 1,476 persons is rather high. “We have system problems with the arrest of persons. If we refer to the freeing of persons following the arrest and dropping of charges, these figures show the quality of investigation in the Republic of Moldova,” he stated.
According to Vadim Vieru, criminal cases against these persons could have been started intentionally in a move to harass these and create impediments in their activity, for example. The poor qualifications of prosecutors, who groundlessly charge persons who are later set free, are another cause for such a situation.
