logo

IPN Yesterday in Brief, for 20 August 2019


https://www.ipn.md/index.php/en/ipn-yesterday-in-brief-for-20-august-2019-7978_1067599.html

All the teachers and auxiliary personnel employed at "Prometeu-Prim" Lyceum have resigned en masse. Starting September 3, they will be hired at "Prometeu Pro-Talent" Lyceum - a new entity set up by Aurelian Silvestru as an alternative to “Prometeu-Prim”. Statements in this regard were made by Aurelian Silvestru, dismissed from the position of director at the beginning of July, by his two associates. Parents and teachers voted almost unanimously for a request by which they adopt the new status of the high school, standing in solidarity with Aurelian Silvestru and condemning the actions of the other two founders.

In "Stefan cel Mare si Sfant" Public Garden and in Metropolitan Church square there are no public toilets. The public toilets that were available once are now closed, as spaces had been granted to economic agents. "The toilets are for rent and the procedure is not finalized yet," Vasile Efros, head of the DGLCA Planning and Sanitation Section, told IPN. He also said that steps will be taken to include these toilets on the list of facilities to be repaired next year. In April, the General Directorate for Housing and Development announced the construction of eight new toilets in five parks of the capital, with an estimated budget of five million lei. The two parks in the center of the capital are not part of this project.

Interior Minister
Andrei Nastasetold Radio Free Europe that in the case of Iurii Luncașu, found shot in the head, “a criminal case has been filed pursuant to article 145 of the Penal Code, so that it allows the examination of all aspects of this case, which, of course, raises a lot of questions in the light of the fact that he is not a simple citizen, but an intimate of Vladimir Plahotniuc and his criminal group”.

Sergiu Cebotari, former deputy chief of "Posta Moldovei", was found not guilty by Chisinau Court of Appeals. Sergiu Cebotari had previously stated that he had notified the law enforcement bodies about anabolic pills smuggling schemes, but finally he ended up persecuted, being arrested even while going to Parliament to submit the evidence. He was sentenced to eight years of prison on several charges, including fraud and forced labour, to which several people were subjected. By the same sentence, Cebotari was deprived of the right to hold administrative functions and to perform entrepreneurial activity for a four-year term. Also, he had to pay to the injured parties almost 308 thousand lei.

Moldova has been unable to secure a new assistance program from the United States’ Millennium Challenge Corporation until now because of increasingly pervasive corruption. Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, wrote on Facebook about this after meeting with US Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan. According to Nicu Popescu, the US ambassador assured the authorities in Chisinau of the full support as to the country’s possibility to benefit from a new program from MCC. But stepping up the fight against corruption represents a precondition for this.

Since yesterday, August 20, the Prosecutor General's Office has a set of software programs and state-of-the-art IT equipment. The
donation, worth a million lei, was made by the Embassy of the United States of America in Chisinau. According to the interim general prosecutor, Dumitru Robu, with the help of the respective equipment, the General Prosecutor's Office will align its investigation possibilities with the best world practices. "The donation is welcomed and expected not only by prosecutors, but also by the entire society, which is waiting for answers to many questions," the prosecutor said.

The return of Chisinau International Airport to state management is an important item on the agenda of the Moldovan Government. In a press conference, Vadim Brînzan, Minister of Economy and Infrastructure, said that the return of the airport to the state administration is a very complex procedure, which can take years. "While the state will be involved in lawsuits over the reparation for the airport concession fraud, the new owners will continue to make money on the citizens' back, through the 9-euro fee paid by each passenger on departure," the minister said. Currently, the Aeronautical Authority receives 1.75 euros from the 9 euros”, Vadim Brînzan said. The government also wants to renegotiate the investments that the new owner is obliged to make in the modernization of the airport.

The situation at the Constitutional Court in the opinion of the Lawyers’ Union sends "an alarming signal, which will first of all disband the society, increase the uncertainty and completely undermine the confidence in the legal system of the Republic of Moldova". According to lawyers, behind-the-scenes games, which are
unacceptable under the rule of law, pose countless questions. "The current reforms in the justice field, undertaken by the current political power, have aroused discussions and scenarios among citizens and those who are directly part of the system or are factors in the enforcement of justice", the document also shows.

Domnica Manole requests the revision of the decision regarding the election of the CC president. In her request, Domnica Manole mentions that, following the decision-making procedure, the results of the secret ballot at the election of the CC president became partially known and that there is a reasonable suspicion that the secret ballot results were rigged. On Facebook the judge wrote that the Law on the Constitutional Court required judges not to disclose the secret of deliberation, but that she made public the information in the interest of society, but also based on the public statements of some of her colleagues, concerning what happened on Monday when Vladimir Turcan was elected.

Alexandru Slusari, Chairman of the Inquiry Commission investigating the bank fraud, says that there are reasonable suspicions that in 2013 the BEM
shares were acquired by companies of the former PDM leader Vlad Plahotniuc, after the state had been dispossessed of the control package. Based on the Commission’s conclusions, it was requested to start the criminal prosecution for malfeasance in office regarding the former prime minister Iurie Leancă, former NBM governor Dorin Drăguțanu, former Speaker of the Parliament Andrian Candu and former Minister of Finance Anatol Arapu.

The maximum amount of damages awardable under the amicable accident settlement procedure has been capped at 10,000 lei, as d
ecided by the National Financial Market Commission. The procedure can be applied for all road accidents that resulted in insignificant material damages, which involved only two vehicles and that occurred in Moldova.

Details on IPN.