For many Romanians, the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg represents the opportunity to plead for their cause when they consider themselves victims of injustice made by Romanian authorities. So far, European judges tried seven cases, all favourable to the plaintiffs, forcing the Romanian State to pay damages amounting to 1,1bn lei.
The most recent case involves pensioner Dan Brumarescu. The Court decided that, in six months' time, the Romanian State has to retrocede to Brumarescu the house and the land that he had won in court.
The judges also decided that, in case the Romanian State does not give the house back, the accuser must receive $200,000 in damages.
Brumarescu won the entire building in 1993 but, due to the complaint of a tenant's successor, who was placed at the ground floor by the former Communist State and later bought the place, in 1995 the general prosecutor moved to appeal and the Supreme Court of Justice annulled the retrocession ruling.
After the European Court's final decision, Dan Brumarescu is not yet convinced that he will recover his house. "I do not believe anything anymore. I am disgusted. This is a situation lasting since 1993, forcing me to face curses, pushes and numerous trials," he told Ziarul Financiar.
Brumarescu said that Mircea Dan Mitrescu, owner of the ground floor due to the annulment of the court decision, moved from the building in 1988.
" For the moment, I prefer moral rest, as the fight could continue," Brumarescu said.
According to Mediafax, yesterday, at Strasbourg, PM Adrian Nastase stated that all cases similar to Brumarescu's would be investigated after the law regarding the legal status of nationalised houses is promulgated.
Nastase considers that, from the viewpoint of the European Court, Romanian legislation was broken and the building must be evaluated before compensation is granted. "The European Court is not a real estate operator that evaluates buildings," the PM stated.
Manuela atefanescu, Helsinki committee, stated yesterday that most of the people who appealed to the Court in Strasbourg were not satisfied with the trial sentence in their own country. The 41 judges of the Court solved six cases so far, all favorable to the plaintiffs.
In the summer of 2000, Mihai Constantinescu won the trial after suing the Romanian State in a case of freedom of expression. The case did not refer to the right of freedom of expression, but to the right to an impartial trial, by sentencing the plaintiff for calumny.
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
