Bucharest Court of Appeal upholds ban on Ion Ceban in Romania and Schengen area
On Thursday, September 11, the Bucharest Court of Appeal denied the request made by Chisinau Mayor Ion Ceban to lift the ban on his entry into Romania and the entire Schengen area. Ceban's legal team announced their intention to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court of Justice, reports Free Europe.
According to public data on the national portal of Romanian courts, judges in Bucharest ordered the rejection of Ceban's request on the grounds that the institutions sued, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Inspectorate for Immigration, lack procedural capacity in the case.
The decision is not final and can be appealed in a higher court, within five days of its communication.
Contacted by Free Europe, Ceban's lawyer, Ion Dragne, called the decision "surprising", but expressed confidence that he would succeed in "overturning the decision on appeal". He stated that the Romanian Border Police, which is responsible for issuing the entry ban in Romania and the entire Schengen area, made the decision based on a request from the Romanian Intelligence Service.
"I will defend my rights in all courts and, first of all, before the citizens. We will follow the legal procedure and we will inform you along the way", reacted Ion Ceban.
We recall that the ban on Ion Ceban was officially announced on July 9th by the authorities in Bucharest, and the Romanian Foreign Minister, Oana Țoiu, stated that the measure was taken following a national security assessment, based on "suspicions regarding his activity and possible risks to Romania's security".
Ion Ceban qualified the decision as political, accusing the government in Chișinău and President Maia Sandu of involvement in an attempt to "discredit and intimidate". According to Ceban, the measure is the result of an "understanding" between Presidents Maia Sandu and Nicușor Dan and represents a form of pressure on him and the party he leads, the National Alternative Movement (MAN).
"All questions regarding this ban should be addressed to the Romanian authorities, the authorities that imposed this ban", Maia Sandu previously stated.
At the end of August, Ceban received a special visa to enter Italy. The relieved mayor of Chisinau was then sanctioned by the Central Electoral Commission for the illegal use of administrative resources, on the grounds that he allegedly used his position to obtain the visa.
We remind you that Ion Ceban opens the electoral list of the "Alternative" Bloc in the parliamentary elections on September 28. The "Alternative" Electoral Bloc includes the National Alternative Movement Party, led by the mayor of Chisinau, Ion Ceban, the Party for the Development and Consolidation of Moldova, led by former Prime Minister Ion Chicu, the Civic Congress, led by Mark Tkaciuk, former deputy and advisor to ex-President Vladimir Voronin, as well as former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo.
