Chernăutanu about the search for a girl: Legislation sets restrictions
Operations to search for a missing person are often complex and protracted due to legal restrictions.
The head of the State Inspectorate, Viorel Cernautanu, argues that processes often take longer than both law enforcement officers and society would like, since all sorts of bureaucratic procedures are required at each stage. The same was true in the search for Anna Maria, a 19-year-old girl found dead after getting into a car. Each charge required various written agreements or court orders, tv8.md reports.
“In the first days there was a very large amount of work. Unfortunately, we did not have all the opportunities and levers, because it is impossible to wiretap certain telephones without a court decision in the relevant case,” Viorel Cernăutanu said in the release of the program “Moldova Gândește LIVE”
The head of the National Police emphasized that one of the main obstacles in searching for a missing person is the inability to gain direct access to surveillance cameras in public places.
“Unfortunately, some legislative restrictions somehow drive us into limits. I have asked many times to give the police access to every video camera located in a populated area, especially if there is nothing to be afraid of,” said Viorel Cernautanu.
Another major obstacle law enforcement faces when searching for a missing person is the need to obtain a court order regarding the location of the victim’s phone and a transcript from the device.
“These aspects were requested, but for some reason it is interpreted in such a way that this would be too much interference in people’s private lives,” said Viorel Cernautanu.
And that is not all. In the case of Anna Maria’s murder, the police faced other obstacles.
“When we arrived with a clear understanding of what happened, we were automatically blocked, we were told that until a lawyer arrives, you will not have any access and you do not have the right to take evidence A, B and C from the crime scene,” – Viorel Cernautanu explained.
Recall that Anna Maria, a 19-year-old young woman who was six months pregnant, was found dead on Saturday after a week of searching. Her body was found in a ravine in a forested area in the Telenesti region.
The last time surveillance cameras filmed her getting into a passing car. Prosecutors said Monday that she tentatively died from blunt force trauma to the head. However, the exact cause of death remains to be determined by an expert examination, since signs of torture were found on the body of the young woman. Law enforcement officers will also have to establish whether psychotropic substances were introduced into her body.
Based on this fact, a criminal case will be initiated for premeditated murder. The only suspect in this case, a 45-year-old former policeman, was placed in pre-trial detention for 30 days. He does not plead guilty and is not cooperating with the investigation. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison or life in prison.
