Transparency International Moldova warns the development partners and human rights organizations about the attempts to discredit expert Veaceslav Negruta. In a news conference at IPN, the expert said that following his professional activity that implies the monitoring and public exposure of the activities, actions and statements of representatives of the power, he was subject to media and other kinds of attacks on the direct instructions of those who are in power.
Lilia Carashchuk, executive director of Transparency International Moldova, said she has known Veaceslav Negruta for over 20 years and in the period many governments wanted the expert to form part of their teams because he is a professional and is correct. In 2009-2013, he served as minister of finance and, in the period during which many frauds were committed in the banking system, Veaceslav Negruta became an inconvenient person for the government that strengthened its positions meanwhile.
Accordion to her, when he was a minister, Negruta informed Parliament and the Supreme Security Council about the raider attacks committed in the banking system, in particular at Banca de Economii, but a criminal case was shortly started against him and this is now examined by the ECHR. Until now, the expert spoke about the risks posed by multiple draft laws, including those that enabled to obtain Moldovan nationality in exchange for investments and on fiscal and capital amnesty. The criticism leveled at the initiatives that can affect the public interest generated discomfort and, as a result, the expert is subject to pressure.
Veaceslav Negruta said that following the presentation in March 2017 of TI Moldova’s critical observations over the bill to reform institutions from the public secretor that was drafted by the ICT Ministry, Prime Minister Pavel Filip took into consideration the objections and in the Cabinet meeting changed the concept proposed by the Ministry, but expressed his indignation at the criticism and promised he will be insistent and will show Negruta where he belongs. The statements were made by Pavel Filip on a TV channel on April 3, 2017.
Later, on the instructions and personal insistence of Pavel Filip, a criminal investigation was launched with the aim of intimidating him. The expert reiterated that the procedures for purchasing passports in 2012-2013 were carried out in accordance with the plan of action for liberalizing the visa regime with the EU, in the conditions set by the EU and in strict compliance with the Law on Public Procurement and the Government decisions. The legality and correctness of the whole process were checked by the EU and, as a result, Moldova signed the visa waiver agreement with the EU, and the judgment passed by the Supreme Court of Justice in November 2012 confirms this aspect from legal viewpoint.
Veaceslav Negruta noted that he went to court to defend himself from the media attacks launched against him in April 2017. The clarification trial is delayed because the involved media outlets do not have pertinent explanations and arguments. Meanwhile, two of these media outlets apologized for the attacks against him and were excluded from the trial. Also, having no argument and legal reason to attack him personally, the institutions of the prosecutor’s office, under the pressure and at the personal insistence of Prime Minister Filip, arrested his ex-adviser and have held him for over three weeks. The given actions weren’t made public because they are evidently illegal, abusive and unfounded.
“I personally and my colleagues from the Ministry of Finance committed no illegality in the process of implementing the liberalized visa regime. All the actions to organize the bidding process were attentively monitored by the partners and all the requirements, including the technical ones, set by the European partners were met and the law was observed and the November 2012 judgment by the SCJ confirms this,” explained the expert.
Veaceslav Negruta called on the whole society and the development partners, especially the EU Delegation to Moldova, to obtain the immediate release of the mentioned person UE. Also, TI Moldova demands to stop the wrongdoings and illegal confiscations to force persons to make false statements against inconvenient persons and persons who dare to state their opinions on subjects of public interest.
