Romanian Gheorghe Ciobanu sentenced to nineteen years in prison for murder in Alken (Alken)

Nineteen years in prison is the final verdict of the Tongeren assize jury for Gheorghe Ciobanu (58). On the night of December 18 to 19, 2021, the Romanian murdered his fellow countryman Constantin Munteanu (44) in Alken with fourteen stab wounds.

Emotionless and with his gaze focused on the ground, Ciobanu listened to his punishment, in the image of the entire trial. “I am very sorry for what happened. I regret. I ask forgiveness from the family. Forgive me. I will largely spend the little money I earn in prison to pay my debt to the surviving relatives,” the man muttered during his last word on Thursday afternoon.

On Wednesday evening, the twelve-member jury had already ruled that Ciobanu was guilty of murder. He acted with premeditation to kill his fellow fruit picker Constantin Munteanu in a residential unit near a fruit company in Alken. The two fellow villagers had been at odds for some time. In December 2021, the argument escalated after a game of poker and after everyone had gotten very drunk. Munteanu suffered five stab wounds in the chest area, seven in his right side and two in the right arm. The emergency services that rushed to the scene could only confirm his death around 1 am.

Punishment for rudeness

A conviction for murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. It didn’t get that far. The jury saw a number of mitigating circumstances to mitigate the sentence. Just like the Advocate General who had demanded 25 years in prison. Ciobanu’s lawyer Gino Houbrechts already threw out one-liners on Thursday to get a reduced sentence. “There should be no punishment for rudeness.” The counselor alluded to his client’s modest IQ of 85. “When the senses were handed out, Mr. Ciobanu was not in the front row. You cannot make a racing horse from a donkey. The fact that he often did not remember things or formulated them differently during the process is also related to his low giftedness. His actions are also influenced by this. A smart guy doesn’t fight, a smart guy doesn’t let himself be exploited in a fruit company and a smart guy doesn’t have 19 children. Certainly not in Romania. There should be no punishment for rudeness.”

Eased circumstances

After deliberating for almost three hours, the jury reached the verdict. “Munteanu’s life was taken in a brutal and cowardly manner. In a very violent manner with fourteen stab injuries. Ciobanu was determined to kill Munteanu.”

Still, the jury saw mitigating circumstances. “Ciobanu did not have an optimal childhood and grew up in a poor environment without optimal education. He went to school from the age of seven to ten and then worked. The convicted person has had no sounding board or framework that contributed to his personality. In addition, there is his clean criminal record despite the fact that he is already 59 years old. He has also been shown to have positive characteristics. In Romania he is described as a cheerful man and a hard worker,” the jury concluded.

Imprisonment in Romania

Ciobanu has now been in custody for two years and four months. There is a good chance that he will have to continue serving his prison sentence in Romania. There he may not be able to enjoy the Belgian advantage of submitting an application for conditional release after serving one third of the sentence. In Romania the system is slightly stricter. Ciobanu would only be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence. “Yet it is not all that simple. There is a European law that allows the Romanian criminal enforcement court to take over the Belgian system,” said prosecutor Bruno Coppin. In addition to the sentence of 19 years in prison, Ciobanu will lose his rights for life.