Prosecutor general accused of murder, PGO denies accusations

Prosecutor General Valeriu Zubko is accused of shooting dead a man while hunting. The accusation was made by the leader of the “Antimafie” Movement Sergiu Mocanu in a news conference on January 6. The Ministry of the Interior said they weren’t notified by prosecutors so that they investigate the case. The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) denies the accusations, Info-Prim Neo reports. Sergiu Mocanu said that on December 23 a young resident of Chisinau, Sorin Paciu, was shot dead near Chetrus settlement. “It was Prosecutor General Valeriu Zubco who fired at him. This fact was kept secret by the authorities. It seems that Zubko wanted to confess what he did, but he wasn’t allowed to because he has a master. Alongside Plahotniuc (Vlad Plahotniuc, First Deputy Speaker – a.n.), Vlad Filat (Prime Minister - a.n.) also hides this. The Ministry of the Interior hasn’t investigated this case yet,” said the movement’s leader. Sergiu Mocanu presumes that Vlad Plahotniuc and Vlad Filat agreed to dictate together all the steps of the prosecutor general. He called on all the representatives of the embassies working in Moldova to become involved in clarifying this case. He has told Info-Prim Neo that the shot young man was a distant relative of the prosecutor general and they went hunting together to take photos and to film the process. The killing was accidental. In a press briefing on January 6, Deputy Minister of the Interior Ion Bodrug said that the Falesti Prosecutor’s Office on December 25 started a criminal case over unintentional murder. The Prosecutor’s Office informed the police only about the initiation of the criminal case. “A man aged 34 was injured during hunting of boars in the Domneasca Forest. He was admitted to the Falesti district hospital. The Falesti police commissariat wasn’t informed about this incident, the law being thus seriously violated,” said the official. He also said that the investigation was conducted only the Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutors said they do not need the police to become involved in the investigation of this case. The law says that the prosecutors decide by themselves if they need the police to become involved or not. The PGO denied the accusations made by Sergiu Mocanu against the prosecutor general. In a communiqué issued on January 6, the institution describes the accusations as groundless, serious and unsubstantiated. According to the PGO, the man was hurt during boar hunting in the forest near Calinesti village. He died in the hospital two days later as a result of his injuries. The Falesti Prosecutor’s Office identified the person who allegedly shot and started a criminal case. The investigation is to be completed by the end of this month.