Court of Appeals quashes sentence against policemen and Turkish citizen in Heroine Case

The Chisinau Court of Appeals has quashed Botanica District Court’s judgment of October 2009, which jailed policemen Corneliu Savca and Dumitru Moiseev and Turkish citizen Cernit Murat as part of the so-called Heroine Case. Prosecutor Cornel Bratunov told Info-Prim Neo he will challenge the Court’s decision after he gets wise of its explanation. In October 2009, the Botanica District Court sentenced the 2 policemen to 5 years and 9 months and 5 years and 6 months imprisonment, respectively, on charges of abuse of power and facilitating drug trafficking. The Turk got only 2 years and 9 months of imprisonment. The decision that condemned the other Turkish citizen to 13 years of detention remains in effect. He was the driver of the vehicle in which the drugs were found. Moldova’s largest drug seizure happened in April 2008, when 200 kg of heroine, hidden in bean sacks, were discovered in a Hyundai van. The vehicle, driven by a Turkish citizen, was held in the center of Chisinau. A number of Interior Minister employees were subsequently arrested in connection with the seizure.