The Case of Valeriu Pasat

THE CASE OF VALERIU PASAT

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, following the collapse of the Soviet Union when there were virtual open-air arms bazaars taking place across the territory of the former USSR, the United States Government purchased twenty-one fighter aircraft from the newly independent Republic of Moldova. The Moldovan official who negotiated this sale was then Defense Minister, Valeriu Pasat. This purchase was intended to keep these aircraft out of the hands of potentially hostile regimes.

Just last year, Mr. Pasat was charged with malfeasance in connection with this transaction that occurred nearly a decade ago. Allegedly, the planes were worth more than the Moldovan Government received for them in the deal approved by Chisinau. In January of this year, Mr. Pasat was convicted by a secret tribunal and received a 10-year labor camp sentence. His sentence is now awaiting appeal. Mr. Pasat maintains that the charges against him are political and linked to his work with those who oppose Moldova's current communist government. To further complicate matters, he is reportedly in poor health and is rumored to be suffering from hepatitis--a potentially life-threatening condition. Last month, a team of Ukrainian doctors was reportedly denied permission to examine him.

In response to the Pasat verdict, the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau issued a statement expressing disappointment and regret over the non-transparent manner in which his trial was conducted, as well as the judge's refusal to admit sworn statements from former U.S. officials directly involved in the matter. Additionally, Mr. Speaker, the European Union recently passed a resolution calling upon the Moldovan authorities to ``ensure that the appeals process [in the Pasat case] will be allowed to proceed in a transparent fashion in accordance with international legal norms.'' While I make no presumption of Mr. Pasat's innocence or guilt, I share the concerns voiced by our Embassy and by the EU.

As Vice Chairman of the House Committee on International Relations and Co-Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, I am well aware of the difficulties Moldova has experienced on its path to democracy. I would also like to note the positive progress Moldova has made toward shedding its Soviet legacy and integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. This is why I am so troubled by the retrograde manner in which the Pasat trial has been conducted. It is critical that the Moldovan judicial system afford its citizens the basic legal protections common throughout the civilized world, such as due process, procedural transparency, and hearing the testimony of relevant witnesses. Moreover, Mr. Speaker, it is especial and urgent that the Moldovan authorities take all the necessary steps to protect the life and health of Mr. Pasat or any other prisoner of the state.

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