news agency Infotag

MOLDOVA TO PAY 6.7 MILLION EUROS ON SUIT LOST IN ECHR

Chisinau. Moldova has lost a suit in the European Court of Human Rights  (ЕСHR) and will have to pay a record-breaking sum of 6.7 million euros. Until the present the highest sum, which Moldova paid on suits, lost in the ECHR was the case of the Oferta Plus SRL against the Moldovan Government - 2.5 million euros.

Lawyer Vitalie Nagacevschi, Chairman of the “Lawyers for Human Rights” organization said at a news conference in Infotag on Tuesday that this sum of 6.7 million euros must be paid to Unistar Ventures Gmbh German company.

“In March 2000 the German company signed an agreement with the  State Civil Aviation Administration (GAGA), on the basis of this agreement the Air Moldova Company had to be transformed into the Air Moldova SRL, where the Unistar Ventures GmbH had to own 49% of the authorized capital. The German company paid US$2.4 million for this transaction. Moreover, it paid money for acquiring airplanes”, Nagacevschi said.

In his words, when the Communists came to power in 2001, they began to apply pressure to Air Moldova  SRL and the Company Director, who was German, was deposed from this position.

“The German side appealed to the court, but later the GAGA demanded to cancel the agreement, signed in 2001. The court took a decision to return to the original situation, which was in 2000. In 2002 Air Moldova SRL was transformed into a state company and the German side appealed to the European Court of Human Rights  (ЕСHR), Nagacevschi said.

The Lawyer affirms that this time the company appealed to the ECHR, one German company made up an audit and stated that Unistar Ventures GmbH’s investments  constituted   US$2.34 million and the company’s profit share in 2002 exceeded 13 million lei,  Neither of these sums was paid out to the plaintiff.

The ЕСHR decided that the company’s property right was violated and obliged the Moldovan Government to pay more than 6.7 million euros, as material and moral damage and the court costs.

“I am almost sure that the Government will try to delay the payment of this sum and, in all probability, the next Moldovan Government will indemnify this damage”, Nagacevschi concluded.