{"id":4240,"date":"2020-07-23T22:19:03","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T19:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zdg.md\/en\/?p=4240"},"modified":"2020-07-23T22:26:29","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T19:26:29","slug":"the-first-court-hearing-in-constantin-tutus-case-was-postponed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zdg.md\/en\/the-first-court-hearing-in-constantin-tutus-case-was-postponed\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Court Hearing in Constantin \u021au\u021bu’s Case Was Postponed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first court hearing in Constantin \u021au\u021bu’s case, former deputy of the Democratic Party, was postponed.<\/strong> \u021au\u021bu\u2019s lawyers claim that the hearing was postponed after they demanded the recusal of the judge, Ion Morozan, who was investigating the case. Requested by ZdG, Viorel Berliba, one of \u021au\u021bu’s lawyers, informed us that the magistrate’s request for recusal was submitted after Morozan himself informed the participants in the hearing that his son works in the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u021au\u021bu returned to Moldova on March 27, after the first case of coronavirus. Subsequently, he was placed in a 14-days quarantine. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, the Anticorruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office accused \u0162u\u021bu of influence peddling and illicit enrichment. In September, \u021au\u021bu was announced in the national and international searches, but he fled the country in June 2019.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first court hearing in \u021au\u021bu\u2019s case had to take place at the Chi\u0219in\u0103u Court, on July 23, but it was postponed. \u021au\u021bu\u2019s lawyers\u2019 requested the recusal of the judge analyzing the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Today’s court hearing was postponed. During today’s court hearing, I was initially informed by the judge, even at the hearing, that his son is working in the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, he claims. Thus, the judge informed us that he was recused several times on this basis. Subsequently, the judge requested our position – if we do not have recusals against him. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a consultation between the team of lawyers and our client, we decided that it is a reason to recuse the judge, if he was recused before. These are some objective things that I was informed about in court by the judge. Thus, I decided that if such recusal requests were granted, it means that there are objective grounds for exposing ourselves to the impartiality of this judge and we have decided to file a request for recusal of the judge. Following this, we filed the recusal. The first court hearing was to take place today,\u201d Viorel Berliba, one of the lawyers of the former Democratic Party deputy, told us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 24, the Chi\u0219in\u0103u Court will examine the recusal of the judge requested by \u021au\u021bu\u2019s lawyers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge Ion Morozan, appointed to examine \u021au\u021bu’s case, has been working in the judiciary for 15 years. Details here<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 11, 2020, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office finalized and sent to court \u021au\u021bu\u2019s criminal case charging him with influence peddling and large-scale fraud. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 27, \u021autu returned in Moldova and was placed in a 14 days quarantine. Previously, the prosecutors charged him with influence peddling and illicit enrichment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n