The Buiucani District Court today extended by 30 days the house arrest for the suspended Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca. His lawyers promised to appeal.

After hearing the decision, Dorin Chirtoaca criticized the extension as being an attempt to inoculate the idea of his guiltiness.

“Today the prosecution lied in court and this really filled me with revolt. By telling yet another lie, the prosecutor said that the reasons cited today for this extension had not been put up before, so he did it now”. The prosecution saw in Chirtoaca’s earlier decisions to suspend Igor Gamretchi from the post of municipal transport chief an attempt to obstruct justice. But these decisions were already cited as a reason for his extended arrest before, says Chirtoaca, and the prosecutors are not allowed to do that.

Prosecutor Dumitru Robu told reporters that the court was presented with evidence that the risk of obstruction of justice remained high, and thus keeping Chirtoaca further under house arrest was necessary. The prosecutor specified that Chritoaca could influence witnesses into changing their testimonies. “Mister Chirtoaca, while being aware of his status in an ongoing criminal case, issued an order to suspend his accomplice, namely Igor Gamretchi”, argued the prosecutor.

Dorin Chirtoaca was arrested on May 25 in a case concerning parking spaces to be operated as part of what seemed to be an illegal scheme. Two days later he was placed under house arrest. The mayor has been charged with accepting bribes and influencing decisions for undue gains. Dorin Chirtoaca pleads not guilty.