The lawyer for ex-Premier Iurie Leancă requested the judges to invite all the members of the Cabinet of Ministers of that time as witnesses in the trial regarding the concession of the Chisinau International Airport. Vladislav Roșca explained that they should tell the court whether or not Iurie Leancă made them vote for the concession of the airport, IPN reports with reference to RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service.

Among the members of the Leancă Government who could be summoned as witnesses in this case are President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

According to the quoted source, lawyer Victor Munteanu, who represents ex-Minister of Economy Valeriu Lazar, presented to the court a list of potential witnesses, including the former chairman of the Democratic Party Dumitru Diacov, former Speakers Marian Lupu and Igor Corman, and former interim Speaker Liliana Palikhovich. According to the lawyer, they were responsible for the adoption of the “political decision” regarding the concession of the airport. The list also includes former Prime Minister Pavel Filip and former Justice Minister Sergiu Litvinenco.

The judges announced that at the next hearing they will decide whether or not to accept the list of witnesses for the defense.

Eight former officials are accused of abuse of power in the concession of the Chisinau International Airport. According to the indictment, they leased out the airport in 2013 in the interests of the “criminal group” led by oligarch Ilan Shor, causing 392 million lei damage to the state. The eight plead not guilty.