The interim head of the National Penitentiary Administration will be Alexandru Adam, after the resignation of Anatolie Falca. The Ministry of Justice has signed a request to this effect, IPN reports.
Anatolie Falca's resignation was demanded by Prime Minister Dorin Recean as a result of the situation that made it possible for dangerous criminals, including those sentenced to life imprisonment, to leave the penitentiary.
"The ANP is precisely the institution that should take into account all the risks of releasing prisoners, not let abuses happen," the prime minister said.
On the other side, Anatolie Falca said that the ANP was obliged to respect the court decisions issued, but challenged them at the Court of Appeal.
The release of two criminal leaders has sparked controversy in the public space. Member of Parliament Olesea Stamate, one of the authors of the amendment that made it possible to release prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, was expelled from PAS. Stamate said all her actions were legal and fair.
The parliament amended the Amnesty Law and Criminal Code in two readings on Friday so that people sentenced to life imprisonment will not be able to simultaneously benefit from the commutation of sentence to amnesty (30 years in prison instead of life imprisonment) and early parole.
One of the released criminals is Alexandru Sinigur, known as "Синий", who was the leader of a criminal group involved in a series of murders in Moldova and Ukraine. In 2006, after extradition from Russia, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for extremely serious crimes. Sinigur was accused of a string of contract killings, including the murder of businessman Piotr Sari, killed in 2003. He has also been charged with hostage-taking, extortion, banditry. Shortly after his release from prison, he was detained in another case, also for murder.
The second gangster released is Iurie Radulov, alias "Babior", the leader of one of the bloodiest criminal gangs in Moldova, with dozens of victims. In the late 1990s, Radulov was involved in the bloody assassinations of several prominent figures in the Transnistrian region and beyond, including the head of the Tiraspol Anti-Corruption Department, Alexei Burdiuja. In 1999, he was involved in the murder of businessman Isak Lopatinski. The group led by Radulov was responsible for numerous murders, including the elimination of underworld rivals. One example is the murder of a former partner, who was found shot in the head after trying to go freelance. Radulov reportedly left Moldova immediately after his release from detention.
