A woman from Chisinau was involved in an administrative dossier because she had called the policemen “parrots”. She sells illegally at the Central Market (CM). She became a victim of a plan designed long time ago. The representatives of police assert that she had harmed their honor and dignity while they were on duty. Next week, the Central Law Court should file a decision in this case. In these circumstances, the picture of the place where the incident took place seems to outline a corrupted and well-organized system.

After having called them “parrots”, she was brought to the police station

According to those involved in the dossier, the incident took place on September 9th 2008. The area where the incident took place is situated on the right side of the exit of the CM to Bulgara street, in the back of the minivans and buses parked along Varlaam street, where many traders work. Veaceslav Lungu, sergeant, said that, “while moving to the administrative sector where he works”, he noticed many persons who intended to sell goods in a forbidden place. He made them a remark and asked them to enter the territory of CM, where they could sell their goods legally. Lungu says that Vera Esanu was among those persons, and she “replied us in a brutal way, calling us parrots”.

Esanu, however, says that disagreements occurred in totally different circumstances. According to her, the policemen announce illegal tradespersons when a control is going to be made. “At that time they told us not to come there for two days, as a commission had to come”, Esanu mentioned. The woman reminded us that, that day she came round that zone and noticed some illegal traders who were selling their goods without any problem. After some time, she also brought her goods. She didn’t manage to unpack them when Mihail Malacenco, free lance sector inspector, came to her and told her that during that day, it was forbidden “to trade”. Esanu affirms that she asked him why the selling is forbidden and why he didn’t tell this to the rest of illegal traders and, as a comparison, she told him: “you are always repeating the same thing, like a parrot.” As a consequence, the inspector got angry and called Veaceslav Lungu.

Invitation with actions

The declarations of those implied were different later also. Lungu says that after woman called the policemen “parrots”, “I have invited her at police section to verify the case.” According to him, the woman refused categorically to submit to his requests, that’s why “I had to invite her by force.” Veaceslav Lungu mentioned that Vera Esanu “hasn’t been either hurt or maltreated.”

But Esanu says the policemen’s invitation was brutal. She asserts that after Malacenco called Lungu, the last one “clasped my right hand, hit me in the back, as if I were a beast, and crying, pushed me forward.”

It seems that only in the description of events from police station, opinions of both parts mainly coincide. The representatives of police mention that Esanu refused to answer the questions, to sign the records, but she had the possibility to make about 10 phone calls. The woman recognized she didn’t want either to answer the policemen’s questions, or to sign the records, because when she called the “hot line” of the Ministry of Home Affairs, she was told she had that right.

True lies?

Even if policemen characterize Vera Esanu as a person who “has a big mouth and tells only lies” and “there is no person from the sector who didn’t have any conflict with her”, the woman asserts that this is due to the fact that, many times, she tells them “the truth” directly in the face.

The truth represents, in fact, the remarks of the woman. At least Vera Esanu affirms that, according to whom, while talking to other women who were selling goods there, they were complaining about policemen who were applying them different fines. Ultimately, Esanu would have reproached the representatives of the law with the fact they close their eyes when speaking about the illegal activity of those who practice wholesale, but they notice those who sell a few things only. As a reply, those warned her they would make her a record. The woman added that people who were not satisfied with the policemen were afraid to reproach them, because their activity depended on them. Esanu mentioned that those persons preferred to sell illegally because the sale on the territory of the market didn’t run very well – there you have to increase the size because of the taxes. “Those who went there, soon came back”, remembers Esanu about those people who tried to sell on the territory of CM. “Here we are all acquainted with policemen”, the woman said.

All the places are busy

According to the woman, this relation of “acquaintance” with the law representatives costs illegal traders from Varlaam street about 100 USD per month.

Last week, we went to this street. We discussed with a number of traders, we introduced ourselves as persons who wanted to sell some clothes with small manufacture problems and asked for their advice. They recommended us, that if we didn’t have a lot of goods, the best method was to sell them holding them in hands, because in this way, it was easier to hide from policemen. They also told us that if we didn’t manage to do that, we would have to pay a fine of 200 lei, for which we will not get “a check”. From the discussions with traders, we found out that one place for sale in this area costs 100 Euros per month. This is the tax which you pay to the policemen. Also they told us there are no free places for now.

However, Mihai Malacenco told us that persons who sold illegally were running away when they saw the representatives of the police. He also confirmed us the fact that the whole row of sellers along Varlaam street from the back of the minivans and buses, were working illegally and they had to go to the market territory. Malacenco told us also that they didn’t open a record to the persons who worked illegally in the area of CM for a long time, but they didn’t reveal us the reason for that.

To be continued
Nicolae Cuşchevici
Published in Romanian on October 16th 2008

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