Serafim Urecheanu: Witnesses in ‘ambulances case’ are intimidated by government

The key witnesses in the ‘ambulances case’ are intimidated by the government and are afraid to testify in court, former mayor of Chisinau and leader of Moldova Noastra Alliance Serafim Urecheanu told reporters after the court postponed the hearing scheduled for Monday, October 8, because of the absence of witnesses and of the attorney for the City Hall. The so called ‘ambulances case’ is back in court at the insistence of public prosecutor Alexandru Bernaz, despite an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) that ordered the closure of criminal proceedings against Urecheanu. The court was supposed to hear today the key witnesses: Rumeon director Oleg Rudenco, who signed the sale contract for the 40 Volkswgen vans, Mihai Ciobanu, representative for the Chisinau City Council, and the attorney for the City Hall. But none of them appeared in court. Serafim Urecheanu told media representatives he has evidence showing that the witnesses are intimidated and threatened with serious problems if they talk too much. As the court rules compel them to speak the truth, they choose to find excuses for not being there. The ‘ambulances case’ originated in 2002 when the municipality bought 40 vans and converted them into ambulances for 4 million lei. The Centre for Combating Corruption and Economic Crimes accused then the City Council Secretary Vladimir Sarban and Serafim Urecheanu of embezzlement. Since then, the case has seen a couple of stages. One of them was ended by the Extended Panel of the Supreme Court, which obliged the public prosecutor to stop prosecuting Urecheanu. However, prosecutor Bernaz contested the judgment, while the Centru Court ordered continuing criminal proceedings against Urecheanu, marking the first case in the history of the Moldovan jurisprudence when a district court defies the decision of the supreme court of law. The defence considers the actions by the prosecutors and the lower court as a major abuse of human rights and the rule of law. Therefore, on 12 December 2006 the defence lodged a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.