Two residents of Chisinau, Otilia Pintilei and Nicolae Pintilei, through their representatives informed that they were abusively dispossessed of an apartment situated in the capital city and were illegally deprived of the right to housing provided in accordance with the law owing to illegalities committed in the judicial system.

In a news conference hosted by IPN, Vyacheslav Savchenko, the representative of the two, said the row of illegalities started form judge Nina Cernat. Earlier, the Executive Committee of the People’s Deputies of Chisinau provided an apartment located on Malina Mică St to Vasile Pintilei (who later died, in 2001), as the main lessee, together with his five-member family. The family moved to that apartment and registered the domicile there. As a result of a number of events, Nicolae Pintilei and his sister Otilia Pintilei were dispossessed of the apartment.

In 2002, the two filed a lawsuit against the Chisinau City Hall. The case was tried by judge Nina Cernat. For different reasons, the hearings were put off. Out of seven hearings held, five involved judge Lidia Bulgac. The family’s right to live in the apartment wasn’t confirmed and this apartment later became the property of judge Lidia Bulgac.

After they found out that the apartment was distributed to judge Lidia Bulgac, Otilia Pintilei and Nicolae Pintilei asked to review the given decision. Their request was accepted and the Civil Board’s decision was quashed and the case was remitted to another panel of judges for being retried.

In the end, Lidia Bulgac sued the Chisinau City Hall to have her right to the given apartment recognized. The judge won the case and the City Hall was obliged to issue a distribution order without involving in the process Otilia Pintilei, her minor son Anton Pintilei, and Nicolae Pintilei, who lived in that apartment.

In December 2003, Otilia Pintilei and Nicolae Pintilei appealed the decision when they learned about it. The case was distributed to judge Mihai Ciugureanu and Lidia Bulgac asked that the case be examined in her absence. The apartment was confiscated and Lidia Bulgac in 2008 asked to annul the confiscation decision, arguing the decision was already executed and she and her family moved to the apartment based on the distribution order.

Vyacheslav Savchenko said the judicial system in Moldova does not work for the benefit of citizens.

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