The case in which the former director of the Intelligence and Security Service, Vasile Botnari, is accused of abuse of power in connection with the expulsion of Turkish teachers in 2018, has been returned to the prosecutor’s office for the resumption of criminal proceedings. The decision was made by the Chisinau Court, Buiucani headquarters, reports IPN.
According to the court, the measure aims to resume criminal prosecution against individuals previously removed from investigation and identify other potential co-authors. The judges clarified that this solution does not question the already established guilt of the former director of SIS, previously convicted in this case.
The case refers to the events of September 2018, when five teachers from the “Orizont” High School were expelled to Turkey. Subsequently, the European Court of Human Rights determined that they were illegally deprived of their freedom, and the expulsion violated their right to liberty and private life. The Republic of Moldova was obliged to pay them compensation of 25 thousand euros each.
In 2020, Vasile Botnari was convicted for abuse of office in connection with this case, receiving a fine and a ban on holding public office. However, the investigation was not completely closed, with further checks being continued regarding other possible individuals involved in the operation.
In the same context, the Promo-LEX association, which represents the interests of one of the expelled individuals, asserts that the decision could contribute to the advancement of the investigation, but draws attention to the fact that the investigation has been ongoing for several years and there is a risk of exceeding the statute of limitations.
“For years, the Tüfekçi family has been demanding that those responsible for the illegal transfer be held accountable, and the resumption of criminal proceedings may bring this goal closer. The court’s decision opens a path for the investigation to progress against those previously removed from surveillance and against other possible participants. We expect the criminal investigation to produce concrete results within the statute of limitations, so that all those responsible, including high-ranking decision-makers, are held accountable to the extent of the violations found by the European Court of Human Rights,” said Vadim Vieru, a lawyer at Promo-LEX.
The case remains under the monitoring of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in the context of the execution of the Strasbourg Court’s decision, and the authorities are obliged to periodically report on developments and measures taken.
