Moldovan town mayor to be further prosecuted in home arrest

Chisinau, 3 October /MOLDPRES/ – The Court of Appeal of Moldova today rejected the lawyers’ appeal of Orhei mayor Ilan Sor and upheld Buiucani district Court decision extending his home arrest mandate for 30 days more.

The mayor of Orhei attended the Court of Appeal’s meeting.

After the decision, the case prosecutor Andrei Baiesu reiterated that "there are several risks that motivate home detention, so the decision is correct. There are more submitted requests which are to be considered at the next meeting, which will take place on Thursday, 6 October at 10.00," said Baiesu.

At his part, Denis Ulanov, Ilan Sor's attorney, declared that the Court's decision was  not a reasoned one. "We will do everything possible to demonstrate that Ilan Sor is innocent and that he must not bear responsibility for the actions imposed," said Ulanov.

During the meeting, several people protested in front of the Buiucani district Court, demanding the release of the mayor of Orhei.

Ilan Sor was detained by the anti-corruption officers on 22 June in a new criminal case. The General Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case against him since December 2014. The mayor of Orhei is charged that between 4 – 25 November,  2014, secured by fraud more than five billion lei of the BEM (Bank of Savings of Moldova), which would be washed through dozens of offshore companies, an amount confirmed by the report of the international company Kroll. The suspect’s lawyers rejected the accusations, saying that he pleads not guilty.

Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office has completed the investigation and forwarded the case to court initiated against Ilan Sor. He risks 15 years in prison.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor L. Alcaza)