Judge Alexandru Gheorghieș, former chairman of the Bălți Court of Appeals, has been formally assigned the status of suspect alongside two other persons and will soon be charged with illicit enrichment, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.

Seven searches have been conducted as part of the probe, while Gheorghieș and another suspect have been held in custody.

According to press reports, since at least 2014, the judge has amassed various property through proxies and which he failed to declare.

For his part, Gheorghieș told reporters his arrest is an act of retaliation for his role in attempting to oust six members of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) in the fall of 2019. He also claims his arrest is exemplary and aimed at discouraging other judges from running for CSM.