Prosecutors from the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), together with officers of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), announced on Wednesday, January 25, the termination of the criminal prosecution of former deputy chief of the General Police Inspectorate, leader of the “We Build Europe at Home” (PACE) party, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc.

“The case concerns his investigation in the Petic and Verbițchi files, known to the public for investigating the staging of a rape – in the first case and the staging of carrying and keeping ammunition – in the second case,” according to a statement from the Prosecutor’s Office.

More specifically, PCCOCS prosecutors charge Gheorghe Cavcaliuc with “abuse of office, as the perpetrator of the crime, as well as the organizer of the following crimes: false denunciation, filing and inducement to file false statements, violation of the inviolability of personal life, carrying and keeping ammunition”.

According to the law, the most serious of these offences – abuse of office – is punishable by 3 to 8 years’ imprisonment.

“As the accused evades prosecution and refuses to appear before the prosecutors, the lawmen requested the Chisinau Court, Ciocana seat, to authorize the completion of the prosecution in his absence. Subsequently, it will become possible to send the case to trial, during which time he will be presumed innocent, according to the law,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

President of the “We Build Europe at Home” (PACE) political party Gheorghe Cavcaliuc left Moldova after the parliamentary elections of 11 July 2021.

Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, who is in London, is also a defendant in the “fabricated criminal cases against Gheorghe Petic and Ruslan Verbițchi”, as well as in the “Brilliant Green” case. On 19 November 2021, the magistrates of the Ciocana court in Chisinau issued a 30-day arrest warrant for Colonel Gheorghe Cavcaliuc.

Previously, Cavcaliuc had been announced as wanted by Interpol, but shortly afterwards his search was blocked “invoking Article 3 of the Interpol Constitution”.