Authorities in Chisinau have initiated the extradition procedure for Dorin Stratulat, the main suspect in the murder of the 29-year-old found shot in Straseni, detained in Bucharest in mid-August. The information was given to Ziarul de Gardă by Viorel Cernăuțeanu, head of the General Police Inspectorate (IGP).

According to Moldovan law, after the extradition procedure is completed, Dorin Stratulat will be detained by the Chisinau authorities for 72 hours and then the arrest procedure will start.

“(…) The extradition procedure has been initiated. The whole package is already being sent through the competent subdivisions, our subdivision is working here – Interpol and the Ministry of Justice. The extradition procedure is being carried out by the Ministry of Justice (…). He is now in custody for 30 days in Bucharest (…). He is being extradited while being detained (…)”, said Viorel Cernăuțeanu.

On 24 August, the Moldovan police announced that they had been informed by the Romanian authorities of the arrest in Bucharest, at around 1.30 am, of the main suspect in the crime in Straseni, Dorin Stratulat, son of former policeman Ion Stratulat.

Earlier, ZdG law enforcement sources told us that Dorin Stratulat had left the territory of the Republic of Moldova, leaving for Romania with a citizenship other than that of the Republic of Moldova, an hour after committing the crime.

On 11 August, Diana Fetco, head of the Communication and Protocol Section of the General Police Inspectorate, told ZdG that the authorities have several suspects and that law enforcement officials are currently working on the case.

The 29-year-old man, who went missing on Wednesday morning and was being sought by authorities after his mother notified police of his disappearance, was found dead on Wednesday evening in a forest in Straseni district.

According to Moldovan police, authorities were alerted on Wednesday evening, 10 August, that the body of a man had been found in the forest. After initial examinations, forensic experts found that the man had been shot three times in the chest area.

“A short time ago (Wednesday, August 10, editor’s note), the police were notified about the discovery of a body in the forest in Straseni. The police have established his identity. It is a 29-year-old man who was reported missing by his mother yesterday afternoon. According to preliminary investigations, he died of three bullet wounds in the region of the ribs,” law enforcement officials said.

Dorin Stratulat is the son of former police officer Ion Stratulat, himself previously under investigation for murder, who in September 2011 was shot dead by Moldovan kick-boxing champion Ion Șoltoianu on a terrace in the centre of the capital at lunchtime.