The Liberal Party will not support the Government’s bill on the exclusion of the criminal punishment for smuggling, the party’s head Mihai Ghimpu announced on November 28, Info-Prim Neo reports. He argued that the bill was included in the Parliament’s agenda for this week without the Liberal Party’s consent and that it hadn’t been earlier discussed inside the Alliance for European Integration. “I don’t want to think that the PLDM has ill will or wants to make the situation inside the alliance tense. The three components should have discussed the issue and reached a conclusion first,” said Ghimpu. He also said that the criminal punishment for such violations cannot be excluded. “Any offense committed by a person should carry penalty in accordance with its gravity. A fine is imposed if it’s a minor offense. If the offense is serious, there should be criminal punishment,” stated Ghimpu. As to the bill on the Prime Minister’s control body, which also caused debates between the PLDM and the PL at the previous sitting of Parliament, Mihai Ghimpu said that his party may accept it, but expressed certain doubts about it. According to him, it’s not clear what powers the control body will have, especially when the preparations for the next election campaign start. “We will vote if all the necessary arguments are provided,” said the Liberal leader, asking rhetorically if Prime Minister Vlad Filat would agree that the body be headed by a representative of the PL or the PDM. Mihai Ghimpu made it clear that he will not allow voting the two bills without taking his party’s opinion into account. “The PL did not accept to form part of the Alliance for European Integration so that a bill is voted with the PL, wile another bill with seven Communists. This does not mean alliance colleagues,” he said. As regards the opening of a Russian consulate in Tiraspol, the Liberal leader said that President Nicolae Timofti should initiate discussions with the parliamentary parties and then announce Moldova’s official position because it is he who is responsible for the country’s territorial integrity.