Around 300 lawyers were tricked by some individuals who, pretending to represent a law firm, promised to include them in the so-called the honorary book of lawyers, in exchange for several thousand lei each. Next to the former and current management of the Lawyers Union, controversial individuals made it into the album as well, which displeased the guild. The case made it to the law enforcement's attention. While the author of the scheme is wanted by the police, the Union's management denies any involvement.

The honorary book of lawyers, printed in July 2015, contains the names of 300 defenders from all over the country. The achievements of each individual are showcased in a short biographic text, accompanied by pictures at the office and in robes. The album starts with a “biblical aphorism on the legal profession” from Ppriest Igor Martin of the All Saints Church and with an introduction signed by Gheorghe Amihalachioae, the former president of the Lawyers Union. He writes that this is the first edition and it includes useful information about the “representative members” of the Union. “We are aware of the fact that the intelligence, talent, vocation, knowledge and service quality of the lawyers included in this book describe other colleagues that contribute to the settlement of disputes in court as well”, notes Amihalachioaie in the introduction.

The controversial individuals in the Honorary book

Famous names of the field made it into the book pages, but so did several people with controversial pasts. Among them is the star-lawyer Valerian Mânzat, known for the luxury he brags about, and sentenced to prison in May for staging a road accident. Eduard Revenco, the dean of the Bălți Lawyers Bar is included in the book too. He was sentenced and fined last year for influence peddling. We also find Gheorghe Avornic there, member of the Superior Council of Magistracy, and owner of several companies in Romania, about which the media wrote several times, his colleague from SCM, Teodor Cârnaț, who made a big fortune from several real estate businesses, Raisa Apolschii, MP from the Democratic Party, the leader of Liberal Party – Mihau Ghimpu, etc.

Lawyers: “It is a business”

Several lawyers state that they heard about this compilation a year ago, when some alleged representative of a company knocked on their door and offered to have their picture taken. The man claimed that it was a joint project with the Lawyers Union of Moldova.

They told me I had been selected by the Union to appear in this compilation, together with many other lawyers. I didn't know who else was to be included, but the president of the Union at that time, Gheorghe Amihalachioaie, had confirmed the information to me. The photographer came and gave me an email address to which I had to send a few words about myself”, lawyer Violeta Gaşiţoi says, specifying that the book was to be presented to them the same year, on Lawyer's Day. Shortly after, another person requested 2,500 lei as fee for being published. After seeing a first draft in electronic version, she refused to be published in the book. “I understood there were no criteria for selection of “honest” lawyers”, Violeta Gaşiţoi states.

Lawyer Vitalie Nagacevschi was just as revolted, qualifying the situation as a “business project”. He was asked to pay 2.000 lei. “I told them I didn't need a book that nobody knows about and that I have to pay for. Who needs it? Who's going to buy it? Business, nothing else!”, Nagacevschi says.

Valerian Mânzat though, had paid 2.200 lei. He said he was called by a certain Ion, who introduced himself as representing Gheorghe Amihalachioaie. “I just gave him the money and that's it”, he says.