The appeal filed by the new administration of Penitentiary No. 13 against the release on parole of former Prime Minister Vlad Filat will be examined by the Chisinau City Appeals Court on January 29, starting at 2pm.

Contacted by IPN for a comment, spokeswoman for the Chisinau City Appeals Court Octeabrina Popa said the hearing will be open to the public and will be chaired by judge Igor Mînăscurtă.

Vlad Filat was arrested in October 2015 and on June 27, 2016 was sentenced to nine years in jail for passive corruption and influence peddling, being held at Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau. On December 3, he was set free based on a judgment passed by the Ciocana Court. In a news conference the next day, Filat said the procedure for his release was “perfectly legal”.

On December 5, the administration of Penitentiary No. 13 challenged the Ciocana Court’s decision in the Chisinau City Appeals Court.