Legal case against Papuc and Botnari sent to court

The Prosecutor General's Office (PG) Friday sent the case opened against former Minister of the Interior Gheorghe Papuc and former general police commissioner of Chisinau Vladimir Botnari to court, the head of the PG's press office Maria Vieru has told Info-Prim Neo. Gheorghe Papuc and Vladimir Botnari are accused of misconduct in office that resulted in the death of Valeriu Boboc and other serious consequences. The case will be examined by the Centru District Court. If the two are found guilty, they would be fined 300 to 800 conventional units (a c.u. is equal to 20 lei) or would serve three to seven years in jail. Both Gheorghe Papuc and Vladimir Botnari plead not guilty. On March 19, when Gheorghe Papuc presented himself at the Prosecutor's Office to examine the materials of the case, he said the prosecutors have not yet identified the official who was to ask the police to engage in maintaining public order. “The police fulfilled the President's order that no child must be injured and the use of violence must be avoided. It should be determined who maltreated the protesters and if their blame is proven they should be held accountable. I do not defend those who ill-treated,” he said.