The Democratic Party (PDM) has condemned “the attacks of the authorities against” its vice president Sergiu Railean.

“We consider these actions abusive and unfounded. PDM believes that the shows staged by the new government with searches and intimidation aim to divert the public agenda and distract the population from the real problems of the people”, the party said in a press release.

PDM says these are “anti-democratic slippages stemming from the new government’s inability to bring to justice those who truly embezzled the state budget and accumulated huge illicit fortunes before fleeing the country”.

The party says it’s confident Sergiu Railean will be able to prove his innocence “thus confirming that the actions against him are strictly politically motivated”.

The former director of the Public Services Agency Sergiu Railean was arrested earlier today following searches at his home. He faces charges of abuse of office and, as the Special Cases Prosecution Service suggested, this could be in connection with Railean allegedly helping ex-PDM president Vlad Plahotniuc and his associates obtain false identities and documents.