Police gets involved in the process of expropriating an education institution

The founders of the University of Humanistic Studies from Moldova (UHSM) requested the General Prosecutor’s Office to initiate immediately an investigation regarding the abuse of function responsibilities by the deputy commissioner of Chisinau municipality, Petru Corduneanu. The declaration belongs to the founders of UHSM and was made public during a press conference. According to the rector of UHSM, Lidia Daukste, the deputy rector Mihai Balan and the lawyer of UHSM, Sergiu Baesu, on the 27th of June, the building of the university situated in Grenoble street Nr. 147, was besieged by at least 80 policemen lead by Corduneanu with the goal to evacuate with force the owners of the building who are the founders of the university. The policemen came on the territory of the university with a building receiving- giving commission that was formed after the order of the Agency for Privatization from the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. According to the quoted sources, Corduneanu declared that the policemen came with the goal to assure public order, but the refusal of the owner to unblock the entrance door determined the municipal deputy commissioner to use physical force and to involve 20 more policemen with guns and anti-bullet vests. Lidia Daukste says that the deputy commissioner didn’t present any legal order document and was acting illegally. According to the rector, the founders of the University procured on auction basis from the state, the 2 floors damaged building on Grenoble Street paying an enormous sum of money for that period – 1 million 165 thousand lei ( about 300 thousand dollars) even this the balance cost of the building was of 180 thousand lei. The founders spent 2 more million lei for repairing, procuring special furniture for a studies building. But in 1997, the state, in the person of the general prosecutor requested in court the cancellation of the selling-buying contract of the building. The Supreme Court of Justice cancels the contract and asks for the retrocession of the building to the Privatization Department and giving back the money to the founders of UHSM. “The decision was to be executed during one year, otherwise it looses its force and the parties hold the initial statute” declared the lawyer Sergiu Baesu. Nevertheless, the Privatization Agency insists on evacuating with force the UHSM, involving the police. According to Baesu, this conflict could be solved if the state would offer the university the real cost of the building and not the sum paid in 1999.Otherwise the founders will address to the European Court for Human Rights denouncing the violation of the ownership right. According to the deputy rector Mihai Balan, presently exists a directive of the prime minister Vasile Tarlev in which the Center for Economic Crimes and Corruption Fight is asked to perform an investigation and open a case regarding the management of UHSM building, and the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Government Head Office to pay the sum of 1, 65 million lei and to become until the 20th of June owner of this building. Requested by Info-Prim Neo to comment on the accusations against him the deputy commissioner of Chisinau, Petru Corduneanu, refuses to make a declaration regarding this case. The founders of UHSM declare that they have announced the OSCE mission about the “expropriation of the building”, also accredited embassies in Chisinau, other international organizations and that they appealed to the court and are decided to defend their property.