U.S. and EU Ambassadors hope investigation into Paciu case will be in accordance with law

The Embassy of the United States in Chisinau is expecting a complete, thorough and independent investigation into the killing of Sorin Paciu during the elite hunting in the Domneasca Forest. Ambassador William Moser has told Info-Prim Neo that nobody should be above the law, especially the public servants that serve the people’s will. The Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel said that there is room for questions when an incident of the kind becomes public only in almost two weeks. However, his suggestion is to wait for the results of the official inquiry before drawing final conclusions. Ambassador William Moser said that there are two different aspects in the case of the tragic hunting: the fatal shooting of Sorin Paciu and the actions of the authorities after this incident. “As regards the first aspect, the police in the United States would have been called immediately to the scene to provide assistance and to investigate the case. In fact, a similar incident occurred in the U.S. in 2006, when Vice President Dick Cheney was involved in the accidental shooting of a hunting colleague. The local police were contacted within an hour of the shooting and conducted a thorough and independent investigation, in accordance with the U.S. legislation,” said the U.S. diplomat. As regards the actions that followed the incident, William Moser said that there are many questions as to what happened and how the officials reacted. “An independent commission should be constituted to fully investigate all the aspects of this case and to issue a public report,” he stated. The diplomat said it is vital to carry out a complete and transparent investigation so that the public is informed. “A recent example in the United States is the independent investigation of the tragic events that ended with the killing of American diplomats in Benghazi in September. A special commission issued an independent report after investigating the details and interviewing the participants, while the high-ranking officials were subject to harsh questioning before the Congress over those events,” said the ambassador. Dirk Schuebel has told Info-Prim Neo that he was deeply saddened by the December 23 tragic incident. “My suggestion is to wait for the results of the official inquiry before drawing any final conclusion. However, I think there is room for questions when an incident in which an innocent citizen dies an unnatural death in a small country like Moldova becomes public only in almost two weeks. This gives the impression that somebody was interested in hiding this case,” he stated. Nevertheless, in a democratic country everybody should be equal before the law, even if they hold a responsible post or not, said Dirk Schuebel. Consequently, the official hopes that the investigation will be completed in strict compliance with the law and the person to blame will be punished by implementing the law as strictly. “I believe that in an EU member state, if persons responsible for applying the law would be involved in a case that would leave even the slightest suspicion of a conflict of interests, these persons should at least stop work until the investigation is finished and/or until their innocence is proven,” said the EU Ambassador. A 34-year-old man was wounded fatally during hunting in the Domneasca Forest that involved judges and prosecutors. The incident was made known on January 6 and the police said the prosecutors refused their help. At the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Supreme Council of Magistrates deprived judge Gheorghe Cretu of immunity so that he can be investigated for unintentional murder. The same day, January 10, Cretu resigned from the posts of vice president of the Chisinau Court of Appeals and of judge.