Lawyer Vitalie Taulean accuses the law enforcement bodies of lacking professionalism and of starting criminal cases without having a legal reason. In a news conference at IPN, Vitalie Taulean said he is unjustifiably investigated within a criminal case concerning interference in justice and in prosecution.
The lawyer said that in October he was abusively detained by the police after his medical leave and was taken to the Nisporeni Prosecutor’s Office, where he was informed about the existence of a criminal case that was started in May 2016. He was accused of intervening and of not allowing representatives of the local prosecutor’s office to arrest a client of his in March 2016. The lawyer noted he opposed the arrest because there were no documents showing that the police have reasons to arrest that person.
According to Vitalie Taulean, such situations didn’t exist in the legal practice in Moldova, when the measures taken by a lawyer to defend a client served as areason for holding the lawyer accountable. The lawyer considers his actions were legal as he ascertained that the arrest of his client was abusive. Any lawyer in Moldova should act so in order to defend their clients.
The lawyer said in the citation to bring him by force to the Nisporeni Prosecutor’s Office, the prosecutor indicated that he has a criminal record. He was informed that he was earlier investigated in another case, but the prosecutor didn’t bother to inquire and see that he was acquitted in this case. Seven ordinances to extend the investigation were issued before he learned about the case and he considers these are illegal.
“In the Republic of Moldova, no one verifies the legality or reasonableness of starting criminal cases. Any person in our country can be detained abusively and illegally and can be arrested repeatedly. The cases can be delayed for years without the person against whom the case was started knowing the reasons at least,” stated the lawyer.
Vitalie Taulean said the case against him is now at the Chisinau Appeals Court, which is to send it back to the ordinary court of law. The ordinary court found him not guilty, but the prosecutors challenged the sentence in the Chisinau Appeals Court, which decided that the case should be retried.
