Vlad Filat’s Corruption Case Revived Following Judge Resignations
The judicial investigation in the case involving former prime minister Vlad Filat, currently the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (PLDM), who is accused of passive corruption and influence peddling, has resumed.
This follows the resignation of two judges from the Chisinau Court of Appeal, who were temporarily transferred to the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), as announced by the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (PA). The next hearing, where the request for review submitted by Filat and his defenders will be examined, is scheduled for May 27 at 10:00 AM.
By the sentence of the Chisinau Court, Buiucani branch, from June 27, 2016, Vlad Filat was sentenced to 9 years in prison. At that time, the former prime minister was fined 60,000 lei and the confiscation of illegally obtained goods (cars, real estate, land, bank accounts) was ordered. By the 2016 decision, Filat was banned from holding public office for 5 years.
The Chisinau Court of Appeal upheld the conviction on November 11, 2016. By the decisions of the CSJ, both the ordinary appeal submitted by the defence and the annulment appeal were rejected as evidently unfounded. In June 2023, Vlad Filat and his defenders submitted a request for review of the case, following the January 31, 2023 decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which found a violation of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, citing the lack of publicity of the criminal process. The request was to be examined in today's session, May 20th.
The PA announces that in the session, the parties in the process were informed about the resumption of the judicial investigation, due to the resignation and dismissal of two judges from the panel that was to rule on the case, one of whom was the president of the panel.
Additionally, the parties in the process were informed that, by the decision from May 17, 2024, a new panel was created to examine the request for review. In today's session, the president of the newly formed panel submitted a declaration of abstention from examining the case, on the grounds that he had recently received a negative evaluation report from the vetting commission. To eliminate any doubt regarding his impartiality, he deemed it necessary to submit this declaration.
The court's ruling on the declaration of abstention was postponed to May 27, 2024, at 10:00 AM.
Former prime minister Vlad Filat was acquitted in the case where he was accused of large-scale money laundering, according to the May 7 decision pronounced by the magistrates of the Chisinau Court, Buiucani branch.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
