The Buiucani district court has rejected today as being groundless the prosecutor’s request to sentence the leader of the Social Democrat Party, Eduard Musuc, charged with misappropriation of large amount of funds. However, the court imposed on Eduard Musuc a fine of 400 conventional units. But taking into account that he was under arrest for almost two months, the court decided to exempt him from paying this fine. Musuc’s lawyers, Alexandru Tanase and Ghenadie Tatar, intend to sue the judgement regarding the fine in the Chisinau Court of Appeals and will request Musuc’s full acquittal. On 28 September 2006, Buiucani district court issued on the name of Eduard Musuc a 10-day arrest warrant at the request of the Anticorruption Centre. Eduard Musuc and his father Ion Musuc were accused of appropriating illegally an apartment located on Alba Iulia Street, 77, who belonged to “Mold Itel” JSC. On October 11, the Court of Appeals decided to release Eduard Musuc on a MDL 2 mln bail, the highest sum admitted by the Moldovan legislation. As his relatives did not find the respective money, Musuc remained in custody. He was set free on November 14, without a bail. One week after his release, Eduard Musuc stated that shortly before his arrest, he was unofficially proposed to be the member of a new Cabinet, namely the office of deputy prime-minister and minister of Economy. Both Musuc and PSDM consider that his file is politically motivated and fabricated at the order of the communist government. Eduard Musuc is registered as the number nine candidate for the race of Chisinau mayor.