Police raid on Albasat TV -- new disclosures

The three policemen who searched Albasat TV of Nisporeni, on Wednesday, February 25, wore civil clothes and they had no search warrant, Tatiana Pintilie, an editor-presenter at this station, said at a news conference at Info-Prim Neo on Thursday, February 26. “Till the end, one of them showed me his badge that I couldn’t read because he hid it quickly. He said that his name was Sergiu Purcila,” the journalist said. According to director of Albasat TV Efim Bardan, when the policemen began ransacking the television’s quarters, the staff left the offices. Being notified by the policemen, the deputy police commissar from Nisporeni district came and arrested editor Tatiana Pintilie and accountant Mihai Pintilie whom he interrogated and demanded to write down explanations. Those two refused to do it and in less than two hours they were allowed to leave the quarters of the Nisporeni police station. The lawyer, employed for this case by Albasat TV, Constantin Tanase, said at the conference that “we do not have evidence that these persons are employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which their work status is, who is the person who set up this mobile group that went from Chisinau to Nisporeni.” “Was there such an ordinance, possibly made by the Prosecutor’s Office? Was there any authorization from a judge?” the lawyer wonders. He said he would lodge a full indictment on this case with the General Prosecutor’s Office, till the end of February 26. President of the Journalists Union Valeriu Saharneanu said that UJM took attitude toward this case, considering it very serious as the electoral campaign is in full swing, and “we asked for the support of the national and international bodies.” “I also asked for the dismissal of minister of internal affairs Gheorghe Papuc once again,” Saharneanu said. Valeriu Saharneanu places the incident in line with the actions of the law enforcers in 2008 as to radio station “Vocea Basarabiei,” which is a part of the same group “Euronova Media Grup”. Saharneanu also sees a link between the race of the Chisinau policemen and the fact that Albasat TV, jointly with the other 11 TV stations, wants to air electoral debates, after March 5. Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Ala Meleca stated on the eve that a citizen’s complaint whose request to be legally employed was rejected by the station served as a reason for the control on Albasat TV. Director Efim Bardan doesn’t remember such a case.