Expert Igor Boțan said they allowed the state institutions to be politicized in 2009 and all these institutions started to be controlled by a man who transformed politics into business. “The big problem in the politicization of the state institutions is that these institutions are taken over by astute persons. If our shrewd men hadn’t committed those illegalities and crimes under the umbrella of the Alliance for European Integration, the state would have advanced and we wouldn’t have discussed stupid things and the geopolitical struggle,” Igor Boțan stated in the public debate “Political” criminal cases: protagonists, methods, goals, consequences” that was staged by IPN News Agency.
Igor Boțan, the standing expert of IPN’s project, reminded of the case of Veaceslav Platon, who said publicly that he offered US$1 million to Serafim Urechean to put him on his party’s list. “The so-called golden vote that inclined the balance and led to a change in the Republic of Moldova was due to that US$1 million. We can eventually ask Mister Platon if he considers that he had to stay in jail for four years namely as a result of that deed. The Prosecutor’s Office will clarify whether he is to blame or not, but we all understand that the trial against him was falsified,” stated the expert.
According to Igor Boțan, these cases show that the politicians who struck deals with businessmen, who do as Veaceslav Platon did, do not realize what happens later. “In May 2010, there was adopted a law that fully politicized the state institutions, including the appointment of ambassadors, and the big problem in the politicization of the state institutions is that these institutions are taken over by astute persons. When those politicians are asked about particular deeds, they all justify themselves invoking geopolitics to find excuses for Vlad Plahotniuc’s regime. I think one can violate the principles of the rule of law and can commit the biggest crimes by invoking the geopolitical struggle,” stated Igor Boțan.
“The geopolitical struggle was given in the European Parliament over the two resolutions referring to the Republic of Moldova, which are also the result of Plahotniuc’s “geopolitical struggle”. The question is who caused more harm, including to the geopolitical interests, and isolated the Republic of Moldova?” asked the expert.
Igor Boțan said the Republic of Moldova could have become an example for the Eastern Partnership countries as in 2010 the European Union was extremely open to Moldova. But too many irregularities were committed meanwhile and Moldova can now return to those values and can have a future only if it corrects what was done wrong during the last ten years and if society’s, investors’ trust is restored. Or the decent people will leave the country.
The expert also reminded of the persecution to which the young people who mounted protests and spoke about the rigging of the elections of 2009 were subject. Political cases were started against the mayors of Taraclia, Basarabeasca. The EU Representative Pirkka Tapiola was subject to an imaginarily dirty attack on the part of the media holding, a number of journalists because he ‘dared’ to speak in public about the case of the mayor of Taraclia.
According to him, such pressure and the political cases can be combated by solidarity, by forming noncommercial organizations by areas – among businesspeople, farmers, IT specialists, journalists – and these associations should include professionals who would represent them and would put up resistance to the system, including over political cases.
The debate “Political” criminal cases: protagonists, methods, goals, consequences” was the 140th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
