Speaker on Măgdăcești murder: System failed. Parliament to hold hearings

Speaker Igor Grosu says that the tragedy in Măgdăcești, in which a woman was killed and the aggressor committed suicide, has exposed “gaps” in the system for protecting and monitoring individuals subject to restraining measures. The speaker announced that Parliament will hold hearings with the participation of the responsible institutions to identify the problems and take action, including by amending legislation.


“It is a pain that cannot be covered by all the resignations in the world. And it is an enormous tragedy. Every human life lost is a tragedy. (...) The system failed; we must acknowledge that,” Igor Grosu said.


He noted that one of the identified problems concerns the moment when a monitored person leaves the territory of the Republic of Moldova. According to the Speaker, information about the person leaving the country must be transmitted between the systems of the Border Police, the General Inspectorate of Police and the National Probation Inspectorate.


“When he leaves the territory of the Republic of Moldova wearing the electronic bracelet, it no longer works, and the signal no longer reaches the system. And here there is a procedure called a border alert,” Grosu explained.


He emphasized that the technical details and the exact circumstances in which the electronic bracelet was deactivated will be established by the investigation.


“At the time the crime was committed, the bracelet was not there. (...) The investigation must establish that,” the speaker said.


Igor Grosu said that according to the information available to him, there were technical deficiencies when the bracelet was being fitted, although the signal subsequently appeared to have been restored. In his view, the technical problems can be resolved, but legislative intervention is also necessary.


“There are also other matters that will require sanctions to be included [in the law]. That is already Parliament’s responsibility; this is where we need to get involved,” he said.


Grosu announced that hearings will be held in Parliament, with institutions connected to the case invited to attend, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.


“There will be hearings, at the very least. (...) We need to gain a very clear understanding of where the gaps and shortcomings are, where we need to intervene urgently, where we need to amend the law, and where we need to allocate additional financial resources,” Igor Grosu stated.


The speaker refrained from speculating about a possible understanding between the aggressor and individuals within the system, emphasizing that all circumstances must be investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office.


“The Prosecutor’s Office must thoroughly investigate how the probation inspectors behaved and how the police acted, as well as how the judges, prosecutors and others acted. Everyone must be analyzed from start to finish,” Grosu said.


He noted that the tragedy represents “a very costly and very harsh lesson” from which the authorities must learn in order to prevent similar cases.

Prime Minister Vasile Tofan announced five urgent measures that the authorities intend to implement following the tragic case in Măgdăcești to prevent such tragedies in the future. These include introducing a border alert for monitored aggressors, granting the General Inspectorate of Police access to the electronic monitoring platform, increasing penalties for violating protection measures, providing additional electronic bracelets, and improving the mechanism for informing and supporting victims.

A married couple were found shot dead in a locality in Criuleni District. The tragedy occurred on the morning of August 31. The police were alerted by the couple’s 15-year-old daughter, and law enforcement authorities are investigating the possibility of a murder followed by suicide.