CHIŞINĂU (Imedia) -
Journalist Ernest Vardanean, who was arrested by Transnistrian authorities on April 7, 2010 under the accusation of espionage and high treason, appears on television in a video recording provided by a Tiraspol-run television station and says he was a spy for Moldova's secret service. Chisinau rejects the accusation. "When a person is under pressure, when young children are at home and the wife is being threatened, who can believe that to be a piece of evidence? In Vardanean's case we can't talk about anyone who had ties with Transnistrian authorities and had access to information," says deputy P.M. Victor Osipov, who manages the resolution of the Transnistrian conflict.
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The General Prosecutor's (GP) office suspects Eventis' business activities to have been organized to launder considerable amount of money. Eventis was the country's third cell-phone provider and recently went out of business. The GP found suspicious transfers of money that led to the creation of artificial debts. Prosecutors have initiated a criminal case.
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The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) cancels a prior decision by the Supreme Judicial Council, which issued a verbal warning to former SCJ head Ion Muruianu for calling journalists "rabid dogs." Mr. Muruianu initially contested this decision, but the Appeals Court rejected this contestation. Then Mr. Muruianu appealed at the SCJ, which he heads. The SCJ said Mr. Muruianu should not have been warned.
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Gheorghe Gorincioi, head of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC), accuses judges of getting involved in the BCC's activities in the last half-year. Mr. Gorincioi says that courts have made decisions that should have normally been made by the BCC, like "releasing licenses, monitoring opinion pluralism, and appreciating editorial projects. This is an absurdity the BCC cannot tolerate. /.../ We will report about this to the Ministry of Justice, the Moldovan Parliament, the Government, and the Presidency. /.../ We will reach the European Court of Human Rights if we have to."
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Prime Minister Vlad Filat says that cooperation with Germany is an important objective for Moldova. "Germany is Moldova's friend because it has supported and supports Moldova before and especially after elections," Mr. Filat says. The P.M. is on a work visit to Germany.
