The lawyers in the case of Vlad Filat said the prosecutors no longer have the main witness who accused the ex-Premier. After the October 22 hearing at the Appeals Court, lawyer Igor Popa said the businessman and politician Ilan Shor refused to make statements in court. It should be noted that Vlad Filat was arrested following a self-denouncing statement made by Ilan Shor, where he says he offered Filat money, goods and services to the value of US$250 million in exchange for governmental favors, IPN reports.

“We consider that today the prosecutors lost the witness because Ilan Shor refused to make statements, invoking that these could be contrary to his interests. We have insisted that this cannot be a witness in this trial from the very beginning. Given that Ilan Shor is the only witness in most of the counts against Vlad Filat and he does not make statements, the judges of the Appeals Court must set free Vlad Filat,” stated the lawyer.

As regards the statements of the ex-customs chief Tudor Balitski, this said that he never organized inspections at the company Dufremol and didn’t receive instructions from Vlad Filat in this regard. “This shows that Vlad Filat is held illegally and that this is a case started by order,” stated the lawyer. Igor Popa also said that in the next hearing on October 25, there will be examined the trial documents.

The prosecution in the case of the former Premier didn’t make statements after the hearing.

Vlad Filat was sentenced to nine years in jail and fined 60,000 lei. A part of his property, to the value of 791 million lei, is to be confiscated. Vlad Filat pleads not guilty.