Employees of the People’s Ombudsman could not enter the cell of former Premier Vlad Filat in penitentiary No. 13, following relevant instructions given by prosecutor Adriana Betisor. The Ombudsman asked for explanations from the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) in this case, it is said in a communique issued by the Office of the People’s Ombudsman. For its part, the PGO took cognizance of the communique of the Office of the People’s Ombudsman, saying it is waiting for an official request and will carry out the necessary examinations, IPN reports.

The visit to Penitentiary No. 13 was made within the activities carried out to monitor the conditions in the penitentiary institutions of the country and to examine petitions submitted by detainees on the spot.

Employees of the Office of the People’s Ombudsman wanted to check the information that came from persons held at this penitentiary. They intended to meet with ex-Premier Vlad Filat so as to verify the truthfulness of the media reports about the inhuman and degrading conditions in which the MP is held. But they could not enter the cell where Vlad Filat is held as employees of the penitentiary hampered their access following verbal instructions from prosecutor Adriana Betisor, who is dealing with the case of the former Premier.

The Office of the People’s Ombudsman describes this incident as inadmissible and worrisome. In a message to Prosecutor General Corneliu Gurin, the Ombudsman asks for explanations over this case and that measures should be taken not to allow similar situations in the future.

The PGO reacted, saying that it took notice of the communique of the Office of the People’s Ombudsman, is waiting for an official request and will perform an investigation. “The institution specifies that according to the preliminary information, the ban for the representatives of the Ombudsman wasn’t coordinated with the prosecutors dealing with this case. We will warn the representatives of the Department of Penitentiary Institutions to obey the law on the People’s Ombudsman,” the PGO says in a press release.