Court session on case of former Moldovan premier postponed

Chisinau, 15 March /MOLDPRES/- The court session on the case of former prime minister Vlad Filat, scheduled for today, was postponed on grounds of the defendant's health condition. Prosecutor Adriana Betisor has made statements to this effect.

Four witnesses for the prosecution were to be heard today. “Only one person was heard, after which Filat submitted an application on postponing the session, for reasons that he feels bad and needs to make a medical investigation," Betisor said.

The witnesses are heard based on a self-denunciation by businessman Ilan Sor, who said that he would have bribed Filat with 250 million dollars. “The people due to be heard are to confirm information contained in the self-denunciation”, Betisor added.

Filat’s lawyer Igor Popa said that “the questioned witness, as well as those who are to come to court are unreliable people; we want to ask them more questions, in order to clear up the things and prove Filat’s innocence”, Popa said.

Sor and the manager of Caravita Ltd company’s, Ion Rusu, were heard at the last sessions on the case of the former Moldovan prime minister.

Vlad Filat was arrested on 15 October 2015, on the basis of a warrant issued by the National Anti-Corruption Centre, after the parliament had ruled to strip him of immunity. Filat is charged with influence peddling and passive bribery in the case on fraud at Banca de Economii (Savings Bank).

(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor M. Jantovan)