The lawyers of former PM Vlad Filat, who stands trial for his alleged involvement in the so-called “heist of the century”, have presented today a list of defense witnesses. However, prosecutor Adriana Betisor says the list is merely formal and the witnesses seem to be irrelevant to the subject matter, IPN reports.

“(The list) cites some persons who sat on a certain commission, but in fact there is evidence in the case that they never sat on that commission. It's very clear that the presented list of witnesses is lacking in substance and it fails to explain clearly why these witnesses are being summoned”, prosecutor Betisor told reporters.

She went on to add that the list failed to meet formal and content standards, as it provided incomplete identity data for the witnesses. In her opinion, this amounts to an attempt by the defense to drag out the trial.

One of Filat's lawyers begged to differ. Igor Popa has told reporters that the 30+ witnesses summoned by the defense do have a bearing on the case. He argued that, besides their role to shed light on a specific aspect of the alleged criminal action, witnesses can be called to reveal any circumstances that can prove his client innocent.

According to the lawyer, the prosecution requested that the entire list be rejected, which “is unacceptable” and “a serious violation” of the right to a fair trial. If that happens, the defense says it will have recourse to the European Court of Human Rights.

A decision on the list is due this Friday at 2:00PM.