The Buiucani Court on September 23 is to take a decision about the arrest of three of the 18 judges who were placed under arrest on September 21 for 72 hours initially, IPN reports.

Twelve judges and three bailiffs were remanded in custody for 30 days following a decision taken by the Buiucani Court in the evening of September 22.

In a news conference earlier, the head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office Viorel Morari said that 16 criminal cases were started over complicity in the laundering of a total of US$20 billion from Russia through the Moldovan banking and legal systems against 16 judges of different courts of law and ex-judges. Four criminal cases were started against four bailiffs over the same charges.

The suspects face five to ten years behind bars.