On Thursday, the civil court will examine the case of former policeman Gheorghe Petic, who was acquitted in a fabricated case of rape, and is now requesting moral and material damages from the state amounting to 6,000,000 lei. For the first time, the court has allowed the proceedings to be broadcast live, and Cornelia Cozonac, the director of the Center for  Investigative Journalism has been co-opted as a media expert. The hearing will take place at the Chisinau Court Center headquarters at 9:00 a.m.

In a message on his social media page, Gheorghe Petic explains why he is requesting such compensation and expresses his regret that he cannot make former democratic leader Vlad Plahotniuc pay, whom he considers to be the direct owner of the fabricated case against him.

"Unfortunately, the Republic of Moldova will have to pay tens of millions in compensation over the next ten years because, a few years ago, dozens of fabricated cases were created at the command of the fugitive criminal Plahotniuc and those who served him, resulting in dozens of citizens being imprisoned for decades. I really want this criminal, as well as the policemen, prosecutors, and judges involved, to be held accountable," wrote Petic.

The former policeman also mentioned that the court has allowed the hearings to be broadcast live for the first time, and investigative journalist Cornelia Cozonac has been brought in as a media expert.

"Thank you for your responsiveness, Mrs. Cornelia. The first broadcast of the court hearings in the case of Petic vs. the Ministry of Justice will add value to the not-so-bright image of the courts," Petic wrote.

Gheorghe Petic was detained on October 12, 2018, after a resident of Ungheni called the emergency hotline, 112, at 2:50 p.m. She reported that she had been physically assaulted and raped in her own apartment.

Petic was held in preventive detention for 9 months in a maximum-security prison in Rezina, where those sentenced to life are also held. In November 2021, the Orhei Court acquitted Gheorghe Petic after the prosecutors withdrew their charges, and the alleged victim admitted in court that she had been paid to make false statements.