A lawyer from Chisinau was arrested on suspicion of traffic of influence. He is accused of asking for €9,000 from his client for helping him avoid a jail term by using his influence on judges and other persons from law enforcement institutions. The National Anticorruption Center (CNA) said this is the first lawyer arrested this year, IPN reports.

The lawyer told his client that he can convince the police officers to drop the charges against him. The man is investigated for swindle and faced up to 15 years behind bars.

The arrest was made in Chisinau last night. The lawyer was caught in the act of taking €3,000 from the denouncer.  He was escorted to the CNA and placed under arrest for 72 hours.

If he is found guilty of traffic of influence, the lawyer will be fined 60,000 to 80,000 lei or will be jailed for two to six years.