Moldovan parliament speaker comments on case of minor who died at Cahul military unit

The tragedy that occurred at a military unit in Cahul, in which a 16-year-old minor lost his life and a conscript soldier was injured, must be thoroughly analyzed, and all circumstances are to be established by the investigation. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu has made statements to this effect at the radio show, At 360 Degrees, on broadcast on Radio Moldova. “There will be a very tough investigation,” Grosu emphasized, noting that this case is a tragedy for the whole society.

“That way in which the first conclusions were formulated, so that other  information is later presented, is inexcusable. I have spoken with health minister,  with the defense minister, with Mr. Cernauteanu, and with the prime minister. There will be a very strict and very tough investigation, in order to see where mistakes were made, how they were made, how that minor ended up in that area. I understand that, according to the information that appeared in the public space, they came to visit a friend, together with the 19-year-old injured soldier, who was a conscript,” Igor Grosu said.

Grosu noted that public reactions and the opposition’s calls for the resignation of the defense minister are “legitimate,” but stressed that a rigorous investigation is needed before decisions are made.

At the same time, the speaker stressed that Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii is a professional, but acknowledged that such a tragedy can overshadow anyone’s work. According to Grosu, before any potential political decisions are discussed, all circumstances must be analyzed.

“But decisions must be taken calmly and without political overtones. That is our wish. Beyond that, we support any investigation, any information that needs to be identified and presented to the public. I, as Parliament Speaker, support this. I would opt for an investigation carried out by specialists. I have not yet discussed with Mr. Carp, the chair of the commission for security, defense, and public order. I will ask for the commission’s opinion and, at the parliamentary level, at the next meeting, we will come forward with a proposal on how to act and how to better organize this investigation in this tragic case. It is a tragedy not only for the family, but for all of us. We must take very tough, but well-documented decisions,” the parliament speaker said.

Referring to the lack of an immediate reaction on behalf of the Defense Ministry, Grosu said that the institutions agreed that the Interior Ministry would communicate first, as it was present at the scene, and that further information would later be provided by the Health Ministry.

The Prosecutor’s Office has opened a case on this matter, and the authorities say they are awaiting the results of the investigation to determine exactly how the tragedy occurred and who bears responsibility.

A 16-year-old minor on May 10 died following an incident at a military unit in Cahul, when improper handling of a firearm led to the injury of a soldier and the boy’s death. The Cahul Police Inspectorate, under the guidance of prosecutors, initiated a criminal case for violation of the rules for handling weapons, which through negligence caused the death of the 16-year-old minor at a military unit from Cahul.