Parliament today appointed Vitalie Pirlog director of the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS). The candidature of the former justice minister, and acting prime minster for a brief period, in Communist cabinets between 2006 and 2009 was approved by a majority of 55 MPs.

According to the legislative procedure, a candidate for the SIS directorship must be nominated by at least 10 MPs and approved by Parliament’s National Security Commission. Vitalie Pirlog was nominated by 10 members of the parliamentary majority.

During his presentation in Parliament, the Liberal group asked Pirlog whether he was ready to take a non-mandatory polygraph test “for moral reasons”, and he said yes.

Pirlog will serve for a term of five years.