The Prosecutor General’s Office on September 4 announced that it started a criminal case following the death of Andrei Braguta in jail. Seven persons are investigated as suspects in this case. The suspects include two detainees who stayed in the same cell together with the victim and three police employees. The three police officers and one of the detainees were placed under arrest. The 32-year-old man was arrested after he came into a conflict with patrolling inspectors who imposed a fine for speeding on him in the middle of August. The General Police Inspectorate specified that the young man died from respiratory failure and purulent bronchopneumonia and this fact was confirmed by medical certificates. The bruises that the young man had on the body were the result of aggression on the part of his cell mates, who said that Braguta had a deviant behavior. On September 8, the deputy head of Penitentiary No. 16 of Pruncul and head of the medical service of Penitentiary No. 13 of Chisinau were fired from the penitentiary system. The penalties were imposed for negligent attitude to the professional obligations in the case of detainee Andrei Braguta’s death.
The Liberal Party on September 5 requested the Constitutional Court to check the constitutionality of the law by which the electoral system was modified. In a challenge to the Court, the Liberals say the given law runs counter to a series of articles of the Constitution, in particular Article 38 on the Right to Vote and be Elected and Article 61 on the Election of Parliament. According to the Liberal leader Mihai Ghimpu, the electoral system change is unconstitutional and seriously affects the rule of law, democracy and political pluralism, which are supreme values guaranteed by the Constitution. Mihai Ghimpu also said that equality resides not only in the number of votes of the citizens, but also in the weight of each vote in choosing representatives of the people. Thus, each citizen has the right to one vote, but this vote should have the same weight as that of all the votes cast to elect a state authority.
Over 20 tonnes of Moldovan apples were sent back following a check performed at the Russian customs post “Kupets” in Kursk region. The consignment was to reach a processing factory in Nijnii Novgorod region. According to a press release placed on the website of Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) on September 5, the Oriental fruit moth was detected in the consignment.
The intention to take part in the military exercise “Rapid Trident” in Ukraine during September 7-24 resulted in a Ping-Pond game of statements and contradictory decisions between the Government and the presidential administration of Moldova. After the Head of State on September 5 requested the Ministry of Defense to cancel the preparations for the participation in the event, on September 6 the Government approved a decision by which it assumed responsibility for the Moldovan service member’s departure to the Yavoriv Combat Training Center in Ukraine. The decision was published the same day in a special issue of the Official Gazette. At the same time, President Igor Dodon through a social networking site announced that he suspended the Government decision. On September 7, the Moldovan service members departed yet for Ukraine. The same day, Igor Dodon signed the decision to suspend the Government decision published in the Official Gazette and ordered to carry out inspections at military units to determine the presence or absence of service members and to take the required decisions, including relegation in military ranks. On September 8, President Igor Dodon, as the supreme commander of the armed forces, signed an order by which he bans the participation by service members of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova in exercises, operations, studies, missions, training, courses and any other type of events abroad, without his prior consent. The President also requested to dismiss the deputy minister of defense, who now serves as acting minister.
MP Iurie Darda on September 6 announced that he decided to defect from the Liberal group and to serve as an independent. On a social networking site, the MP wrote that he has been subject to denigration and does not want the Liberal Party’s image to be affected because of these acts. As an independent MP, Iurie Darda said he will deliver on the promises made to the people during the election campaign, for which he gained votes, and will promote the European integration and the democratic values. The Liberal parliamentary group will now have ten members.
The Balti district Prosecutor’s Office has a new chief. This is Tatiana Ionita, who held the post of acting deputy head of the institution on an interim basis. Ionita was designated at a contest that was held within the September 7 meeting of the Superior Council of Prosecutors. Two more candidates applied for the post of chief prosecutor of the Balti district Prosecutor’s Office – Valeriu Dubasari and Ion Procopciuc. Tatiana Ionita obtained the highest score.
The suspended mayor Dorin Chirtoaca was issued with a new indictment. For the purpose, he presented himself at the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office together with his lawyer on September 8. According to the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, during 1998 – 2013 the courts issued 383 decisions by which the Chisinau Municipal Council was obliged to provide dwellings from the municipal housing sector to different persons and their families. Thus, between 2012 and January 2017 the City Hall, represented by the mayor general, by prior arrangement with the parties, concluded reconciliation transactions with the persons who presented relevant court decisions. The mayor, concluding 81 such transactions and paying a total of 66 million lei in compensation from the municipal budget, caused considerable damage to the local public administration. Dorin Chirtoaca said the second criminal case against him was started illegally, as the first was.
Prime Minister Pavel Filip on September 8 made a working visit to Odessa, Ukraine. Pavel Filip had a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Groisman and took part in the second International Transport Conference “Integrated Transport Corridors Europe-Asia”. The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine included the signing of bilateral agreements on the liberalization of road and air transport between the two sides in this year’s bilateral agenda.
Maia Sandu was reelected as president of the Party “Action and Solidarity” (PAS), which she has headed since its foundation in May 2016. In the first congress of the party held on September 10, Maia Sandu, who was the only candidate fielded for the party’s presidency, polled 332 votes of the total of 335 delegates who took part in the congress. Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei, Dan Perciun and Mihai Popusoi were chosen as vice presidents of the PAS, while Igor Grosu was reelected as PAS secretary general. According to the resolution adopted at the end of the congress, the first-class preparation for the next elections is the key objective of the PAS. The party will insistently demand to restore the old, party-list proportional representation system that would enable the PAS to form a parliamentary majority together with other pro-European, anti-oligarchic parties. The PAS pleads for the establishment of a strategic partnership with the Party “Platform Dignity and Truth” and for cooperation with other parties that share the national and European values so as to together struggle against the ruling PDM-PSRM regime.
Selection by Maria Procopciuc
