Chisinau Court of Appeal pronounces first sentence in Laundromat file, former judge recognized as guilty

Chisinau, 16 May /MOLDPRES/ - The criminal college of the Chisinau Court of Appeal has pronounced the first sentence in the Laundromat file and a former judge, Gheorghe Marchitan, was recognized guilty of the deliberate pronouncing  of a ruling contrary to the law. Nevertheless, the former magistrate was exempted from criminal liability, given the appearance of the limitation period.

According to the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA), the criminal file was opened by the Prosecutor General in September 2016, based on the taking note by the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office.  

According to the materials, in 2011, Gheorghe Marchitan ‘’issued a ruling contrary to the law’’ in a civil case, at a request by a company with headquarters in the United Kingdom, on the collection of a debt worth 200 million dollars, in solidarity, from another company from the United Kingdom and its fidejussors – a private person from Moldova and two companies from Russia.

„The judge issued the judicial ordinance, under which he instructed the collection of the debt worth 200 million dollars, for the benefit of the creditor – foreign/non-resident company with headquarters in the United Kingdom, despite the lack of valid legal acts which is to show the powers of the creditor’s representative. Also, the judge ignored the fact that also the rest of the documents annexed to the file were not properly authenticated, nor legalized; thus, the defendant ignored the legal procedures at the pronunciation of the judicial decision,’’ the PA’s press release reads.       

The criminal prosecution lasted about four months and its judging lasted more than five years in the first instance court and the defendant did not recognize the guilt of committing the deed he was accused of and the judging of the appeal lasted 1.5 years at the Court of Appeal.

On 15 May 2024, the magistrates recognized guilty Gheorghe Marchitan of having deliberately pronounced a ruling contrary to the law within the Laundromat file. Yet, he was exempted from criminal liability, given the appearance of the limitation period for his calling to account.