Judge Dorin Popovich receives severe reprimand

The Disciplinary College of the Supreme Council of Magistrates gave a severe reprimand to judge Dorin Popovich who tried a number of young persons in Chisinau police commissariats after the April 2009 protests. The decisions was pronounced by the College's chairman Nicolae Rosca on Friday, March 5, after a hearing that lasted for more than three hours, Info-Prim Neo reports. The disciplinary proceedings against judge Dorin Popovich were instituted on February 8, after sisters Oxana and Ludmila Radu filed complaints. "It was established that judge Dorin Popovici committed serious violations of the legal procedure and professional ethics: judged cases opened on April 9 at general police commissariats, started legal cases with the same content, changing only the name and surname of the accused, without collecting information from other persons involved. Some of the data attached to reports were incorrect. He did not ensure the arrested persons' access to lawyer,” Nicolae Rosca said. Dorin Popovich said that on April 9, 2009 he replaced a colleague. “I was informed by the president of the Buiucani court where I work as common law judge that the appointed judge fell sick and I was to replace him and examine the cases.” The judge said he had been in the general police commissariat of Centru district in the second half of April 9 and examined 32 disciplinary cases, including of the Radu sisters. One case had been examined during about ten minutes, according to him. Dorin Popovich denied the accusations that the arrested persons did not have access to the lawyer, saying sisters Oxana and Ludmila Radu did not ask for a lawyer. On the other hand, the young women say the information about the circumstances in which they were arrested does not correspond to the data made public by the judge and those indicated in the legal case. They also said they were not allowed to communicate with anyone. The fact that Oxana had a minor child at home was not taken into account. Ludmila said she was imposed to write in her statement that she was at the protest, chanted slogans and swore at the police. Dorin Popovich can appeal the Disciplinary College's decision to the Supreme Council of Magistrates within 10 days. If the severe reprimand is preserved, the judge risks being dismissed at the first deviation during a year.