Court sitting in Antena C ex-manager dismissal case adjourned again

On Wednesday, March 14, the Chisinau Court of Appeals postponed for the fourth time the hearing of the case filed by the former manager of Antena C radio, Vasile State, against Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC), regarding State’s dismissal. State told Info-Prim Neo that this time the reason the court set forth for the adjournment was that “Judge Mihai Ciugureanu was busy”. Vasile State says the CMC decision on his dismissal is illegal, because it can be decided solely at the suggestion of the general mayor or of a third of the councillors, but not at the suggestion of one councillor, as it was done. He also stated that he was fired based on a Labour Code article, for seriously breaking a regulation, but there was no argument set forth related to any regulation that had been broken. On the other hand, head of the CMC Legal Assistance Direction Ghenadie Gluscenco, said the ex-director of the radio station was fired for organising protests of “Antena C” journalists in the CMC sitting hall (December 14), while these journalists were supposed to be at work. At the same time, the representative of the CMC admitted that the procedure of firing State “wasn’t completely followed”, but this happened just because CMC had convened that meeting as a “force majeure” situation. Vasile State, together with the director of the “Euro TV Chisinau” channel Arcadie Gherasim, were fired during the same session of the Municipal Council at which it was decided to auction off the 2 institutions. The 2 directors were fired by the votes of the communist and Christian-democrat councillors at the suggestion of the ex-leader of the PPCD faction in the Council, Alexandru Corduneanu. The decision regarding the sale of the institutions is also sued by the employees of the two stations. On Monday, March 12, Chisinau Court of Appeals rejected their request, while Judge Mihai Ciugureanu found the plaintiffs’ claims groundless.