Hearings continued in investigation commission on Open Dialogue Foundation

Chisinau, 12 November /MOLDPRES/- Today, hearings continued in the Investigation Commission to elucidate the circumstances of the allegations of interference by the Otwarty Dialog Foundation (Open Dialogue) and its founder, Ludmila Kozlowska, in the internal affairs of Moldova and financing of political parties, according to a press release by the commission.

The commission was committed to get answers from first source to a series of questions and confront the information of the guests with the one it holds, given the nature of the parliamentary committee's inquiry and that it does not carry out a proper judicial investigation.

Only the Promo-LEX representatives were present at the hearings. They were invited for a consultation on the electoral legal framework. Some people did not accept the invitation of the commission. Mrs. Maia Sandu and Mr Andrei Nastase came to parliament, but refused to appear at the inquiry commission to answer questions.

“The hearings were postponed last week, because Mrs. Maia Sandu informed us she will not be in the country and could not accept the invitation. Commission decided, in this case, to postpone the meeting to make it possible for her to be present. Later on, however, Sandu invoked another reason - she would only participate in meeting with media presence. This is not a serious reason to make participation in an inquiry committee conditional, especially since the closed meeting is not a whim of mine or my colleagues in the commission, but is determined by the nature of the information. We have collected information from special institutions in the country and abroad, and some have asked us for information not made public at least at this stage, because they have ongoing checks and risk of being affected. We are forced to comply, as it is not a case which concerns only Moldova, but it is a case with an international effect," the chairman of the commission, Igor Vremea, said.

The commission’s decisions will be communicated later to the parliament and public opinion, after all information has been examined.

On 4 October, the parliament established the Inquiry Commission to elucidate the circumstances of interference of the Open Dialogue Foundation and its founder, Ludmila Kozlowska, in the internal affairs of Moldova and financing of political parties. The commission is expected to submit a report to parliament and come up with recommendations.