Court extends former Moldovan premier’s preventive arrest warrant by 30 days

Chisinau, 21 April /MOLDPRES/-The judges of Chisinau’s Buiucani district court prolonged the preventive arrest warrant on the name of former Prime Minister Vlad Filat by 30 more days. An announcement to this effect was made by prosecutor Adriana Betisor today.

Betisor said “the risk of witnesses’ intimidation by the defendant” was the ground on which the decision had been taken.

The lawyer of the former prime minister, Igor Popa said “the decision is unfounded and is going to appeal it to the Court of Appeal”.

Also today, judges rejected a warranty request filed by a group of Liberal Democrat MPs a couple of days ago, in order to ask for Filat’s non-custodial investigation. Betisor said the prohibition imposed on Filat, forbidding him to talk to the press, “is a plausible measure, whereas if there are people who believe Filat’s rights are violated this way, they should feel free to appeal it in an appropriate manner,” Betisor noted.

The court is to rule whether the trial will be public during its next session in two weeks. At the request of Filat’s lawyers, more defense witnesses will be heard during that session.

Former Prime Minister Vlad Filat was detained on 15 October 2015 on the basis of a self-denunciation by Ilan Shor, who said that he had bribed Filat with 250 million dollars. The accusations have been rejected by the Liberal-Democrat leader.

Vlad Filat has been under preventive detention for six months; he is accused of influence peddling and passive bribery in the file of Banca de Economii fraud.   

(Reporter A. Plitoc, Editor M. Jantovan)