Mother accuses judge of pursuing personal interests when accepting amnesty application of her daughter's rapist

A mother has endured humiliation and sufferings during four years while seeking justice in courts. She struggles to see the man who raped her daughter behind bars. The woman told Info-Prim Neo’s reporter that they were preparing for the wedding when the tragedy struck them. Only two days before the event, the future bride was attacked in the street, beaten and raped by three individuals. The woman said the suspects – two brothers and a friend of theirs – were arrested shortly afterward. Her daughter, who studied in Romania and returned just recently – did not know the attackers. In June 2009, the Centru district court gave them five and six years’ probation at a time when the prosecutors demanded 15 years in jail for one of the brothers and by 12 years for the other two men. Half a year later, the Chisinau Court of Appeals quashed the decision of the Centru district court and punished the young men to six years and a half and five years and a half behind bars. The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court of Justice. But only the brothers were imprisoned. Their friend is still wanted. After only a year, one of the brothers was set free, being amnestied on the occasion of the Year of Youth. The amnesty application was examined by the Centru district court this February. According to the girl’s mother, judge Angela Catana, who accepted the application, distorted the legal norm. Under the law on amnesty in connection with the Year of Youth 2008, the persons sentenced to imprisonment of up to seven years can be amnestied if they did not turn 21. “When the law took effect, the young man did not yet have the status of convict,” said the woman, who is convinced that the judge had a personal interest in this case. The woman asserts that the judge intentionally omitted the identity data of the young man. They can be found neither in the hearing’s proceedings, nor in the procedural documents whereby the man was amnestied. The Court of Appeals sent the case to the Centru district court for reexamination. The hearing was scheduled for July 21. The woman hopes the amnesty will be annulled and judge Angela Catana will be held accountable. The attackers were obliged to pay 700,000 lei damages to the victim, but they paid not even a part of this sum. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, Angela Catana said that she does not make comments. “I do not comment on this case. As to violations, only the Supreme Council of Magistrates can pronounce on the matter,” said the judge. Supreme Council of Magistrates president Nicolae Timofti said they receive thousands of complaints against judges from people. “Many persons can consider themselves judges and prosecutors, but only the Supreme Council of Magistrates can take disciplinary action if there are reasons,” he stated.