Voronin to attend meeting of legal commission for immunities

The parliamentary legal commission for appointments and immunities is to decide today if there are reasons to lift the parliamentary immunity of Communist MPs Vladimir Voronin and Anatolie Popusoi, at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office, Info-Prim Neo reports. The commission's chairman, AMN MP Ion Plesca, said the two MPs and the prosecutor who is examining the case were called to the commission's meeting set to start at 2pm. The commission will analyze the case in the absence of the parties if they miss the meeting without leave. The Communist leader Vladimir Voronin has immunity as a member of the Parliament of Moldova and as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The PACE immunity has legal power only during the Assembly's sessions and the meetings of its commissions. As former head of state, Vladimir Voronin does not benefit from immunity. A possible Parliament Decision to deprive him of parliamentary immunity will not be against the PACE's regulations. Last week, the prosecutors started a legal case against Vladimir Voronin over misconduct while holding office as head of state, which resulted in the death of one person during the April 7, 2009 events, the devastation of the Parliament Building and the Presidential Office and other serious consequences. Anatolie Popusoi, former director of the state-run agency “Moldsilva”, is suspected of fraudulently managing over 80 million lei and facilitating the illegal sale of wood to the former head of state Vladimir Voronin. If the legal commission for appointments and immunities rules the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of the two MPs is justified, the issue will be put to the vote in Parliament. A decision to this effect is taken by 50 votes plus one. Earlier, Acting President and chairman of the Liberal Party Mihai Ghimpu, the leader of the Moldova Noastra Alliance Serafim Urecheanu and the head of the Liberal-Democratic parliamentary group Mihai Godea said they will vote in favor of withdrawing the immunity of Vladimir Voronin. The leader of the Democratic Party Marian Lupu said he will vote for only if the arguments are conclusive.