The mayor general of Chisinau said things are extremely serious if it turns out that the Telegram discussions of minister Sergiu Litivinenco are authentic. Ion Ceban accuses the minister of justice of rigging the contest to fill the post of chief prosecutor of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office and of influence peddling in favor of private companies.

The minister earlier said those discussions were fabricated with the aim of distracting public attention from the real problems experienced by criminal groups in Moldova and from their ties with foreign intelligence services, IPN reports.

The mayor of Chisinau voiced hope that light will be shed in this case. The revealed Telegram discussions show that Sergiu Litivnenco negotiated the appointment of Veronica Dragalin as chief anticorruption prosecutor with other members of the Superior Council of Prosecutors.

“I have no reasons to believe Sergiu Litvinenco when he says that the conversations were fabricated. There could be some untrue things, but I spoke to persons involved in those discussions who confirmed the existence of such conversations. Everyone realizes how the chief anticorruption prosecutor was designated. All those from the judicial system know how Sergiu Litvinenco calls and says that a particular decision should be taken. The same happens in the prosecution service,” Ion Ceban stated in the talk show “Black Box” on TV8 channel.

The Telegram accounts of President Maia Sandu and Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spînu were also hacked. The Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Special Cases said it will investigate this case and also the private conversations attributed to Minister of Justice Sergiu Litvinenco.