Mocanu: Plahotniuc controls courts

Democrat vice-president Vlad Plahotniuc controls the judicial system, stated Sergiu Mocanu, the leader of the political movement Antimafia, in reaction to a court ruling that required him to pay Plahotniuc $120,000 in damages for libel. “I think that yesterday the Moldovan judicial system proved once again that it's subdued to those who hold political power”, Mocanu told a news conference on Thursday. Though he already appealed, Mocanu doesn't think he will be successful in domestic courts. “After the appointment of (Ion) Plesca as chairman of the Court of Appeals I don't stand a chance”. Mocanu said that he didn't have the money to pay Plahotniuc, nevertheless he would not retract any of his statements concerning the Democrat vice-president. “I stated publicly, and I will repeat, that Vlad Plahotniuc doesn't have any higher education and that he bought his diploma, for which he was investigated by the Intelligence Service (…) Vlad Plahotniuc was also engaged in human trafficking. He was a procurer, this is how he made his first money. Then he became manager at Petrom Moldova, a case that is yet to be investigated by the Romanian authorities”, said Mocanu. According to him, Plahotniuc's ultimate ambition is to become President of Moldova, “at whatever cost”. “Vlad Plahotniuc is capable of a coup. And he won't hesitate to stage it when he sees that he can't rise into power through so-called democratic ways”. On Wednesday the Riscani District Court required Sergiu Mocanu to pay Vlad Plahotniuc $120,000 in damages for a contract lost as a result of libelous statements. Additionally, Mocanu will have to pay 50,000 lei for non-pecuniary damage, 70,000 lei for court costs and further 100,000 lei for each of the four libelous statements that Mocanu will fail to retract.