The Chisinau/Buiucani Court has decided that the public and reporters will be barred from attending the trial of the former Democrat Vladimir Andronachi, who stands accused of playing a role in the 2014 bank fraud.

Anticorruption Chief Prosecutor Veronica Dragalin criticized the decision as “baseless and running against the law, including the Constitution”, adding that her office would seek disciplinary action against the judge in question.

“The public has the right to know how the biggest fraud in Moldova’s history, through which billions of lei were stolen from citizens, was perpetrated. Moldovans have the right to know about the actions of public office-holders who had the obligation to act in the interest of the state and the citizens”, said Dragalin.

She added that public trials allow citizens to directly observe how the justice system works and hold prosecutors, judges, lawyers and defendants accountable for their actions in court proceedings. “The judge rejected this argument and accepted the defendant’s argument that any reports or broadcasts would affect his family emotionally. The judge also argued that the evidence gathered from the financial institutions constitutes banking secrecy and that the materials in the case contain information that amount to classified information”, said Dragalin.

At this stage, she went on, the law doesn’t allow prosecutors to challenge the secret trial decision.

Regarded as a close ally of the now fugitive oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, Vladimir Andronachi was arrested on 2 November 2022 and later released on bail. He is accused of fraud and money laundering in particularly large amounts to the benefit of a criminal organization.