On November 30, the Chișinău Court of Appeal ruled that Igor Dodon had issued false and defamatory statements from widespread leaflets and video spots broadcast on several TV stations. A few days later, the Supreme Court of Justice upheld the decision of the Chișinău Court of Appeal “in the case of administrative disputes, to the lawsuit filed by Maia Sandu against Igor Dodon regarding the recognition as false, defamatory, and denigrating the information included in the electoral paper leaflet, which directly harms the honor, dignity, reputation, and personal non-patrimonial rights of Maia Sandu runs the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of December 3. 

The incumbent president spread false information to claim superiority over his opponent. That is, a head of state showed every Moldovan citizen that, holding a public position paid by public money, he created a factory of forgeries that were knowingly circulated and distributed. Other factors worsen the situation: the president’s various advisers on law, justice, media, and human rights, all paid from public money developed and issued these forgeries. Moreover, the court qualified the electoral products as false, slanderous, and nonconforming with the law, therefore, nonconforming with the status of a head of state. The country’s leader paid for the fabrication of these disqualifying slanders from the electoral fund which also includes public money.

Thus, the fabrication of these forgeries was financed from public money for three times: president’s salary, councilors’ salary, electoral fund. I admit that Igor Dodon was on leave at the time when he issued these forgeries. However, while on leave, he returned to the Presidency whenever he wanted to sign decrees on awarding orders and medals to his associates. There is no guarantee that these materials, considered false and denigrating, were not released at the Presidency.

It is sad that Igor Dodon was for four years, as President of Moldova, the guarantor of the Constitution and of all human rights. So he was not just a citizen, nor a common politician or Prime Minister. He was the absolute guarantor of human rights and he used this position precisely to violate the rights of others, being paid with public money for it. 

Dodon did even more harm than slandering his opponent Maia Sandu. The Head of the State made it clear to everyone, including even children, that one can fabricate fakes and slander on public money, and distribute them everywhere with absolutely no sanction. Dodon told everyone: it is good to be a person in high office; you receive money and you can defame, attack, distribute fakes and enjoy power over whoever you want because the system is rotten and it will not punish you.

I wrote these lines on the Days marking Anti Corruption and Human Rights. As long as the next president or prime minister, or deputy is likely to fabricate similar slander on public money, I propose to introduce a new law: to deprive forever of the right to hold public office and receive public money, anyone who commits inappropriate actions, including distributing forgeries and slander while in public office, especially if he/she is the guarantor of human rights but violates them. Let these persons live the happiness of being ordinary citizens and let them fully enjoy this status. It’s not too hard, is it?