Cases of generals Papuc and Botnari close to an end

After almost three years of the April 7, 2009 events, the trials against former Minister of the Interior Gheorghe Papuc and former Chisinau commissioner Vladimir Botnari come to an end. On December 20, the prosecutors and lawyers presented their pleadings and the Centru Court is expected to pass judgment next week, Info-Prim Neo reports. In the December 20 hearing, prosecutor Sergiu Rosu reiterated that Gheorghe Papuc is accused of misconduct in office that resulted in the death of Valeriu Boboc. Gheorghe Papuc is accused of not taking measures to end the violence and prevent the protests. The prosecutor also said that though Gheorghe Papuc received instructions from former President Vladimir Voronin not to use guns and to prevent bloodshed, the orders weren’t obeyed. The former minister did not admit his guilt, though the testimonies of the witnesses revealed that he is to blame. Vladimir Botnari is accused of misconduct in office in the same case. On this count, the prosecutors demand two years in jail for the two generals and banning them from holding a certain post for a period of up to five years. Gheorghe Papuc is also accused of abuse of power. According to the prosecutors, he leased out several offices of the Ministry of the Interior to the Communist Party. The party, which was then in power, also used the Ministry’s vehicles. In this case, Gheorghe Papuc faces three years in prison and may be deprived of the right to hold certain positions for a period of up to five years. Gheorghe Papuc’s lawyer Mihai Murzac said the misconduct in officer is not an intentional offense. He also said that the minister does not respond for the behavior of the police officers who maltreated young persons in April 2009, while the Parliament Building and the Presidential Office were devastated by the protesters who resorted to violence. Mihai Murzac also said that Gheorghe Papuc cannot be accused of Valeriu Boboc’s death as former police officer Ion Perju is accused of this in another case. Vladimir Botnari’s lawyer Gheorghe Avornic said his client is not to blame as he was responsible for the area around the Chisinau City Hall only. “The deeds of the accused do not represent elements of an offense. The prosecutors didn’t prove anything. They did not formulate a definite charge, but presented abstract terms,” he stated. The cases of Gheorghe Papuc and Vladimir Botnari were remitted to court last June.