The hearing of the Chisinau Court of Appeal, which was to examine the appeal of the members of the former Filip Government against the procedural act by which the criminal proceedings were initiated in the case of state power usurpation was postponed after Judge Rapporteur Ghenadie Morozan had filed a self-recusal request. According to the General Prosecutor's Office, magistrate Morozan, who is related to Vlad Plahotniuc, former chairman of the Democratic Party, was randomly appointed rapporteur on this case.
Asked by IPN, the spokesperson of the Court of Appeal, Octeabrina Popa, has said that Judge Morozan’ self-recusal request will be examined by another panel of judges. Depending on the solution for the self-recusal request, it will be decided whether the appeal will be examined by another formation of the court or by the same. The date of the new hearing is not yet known
According to the General Prosecutor's Office, the appeal was lodged by members of the former Government - Pavel Filip, Monica Babuc, Alexandru Jizdan and Nicolae Ciubuc. The panel of judges consists of judges Alexandru Gafton, Ghenadie Morozan and Mihail Diaconu.
The prosecutors opt for maintaining the judgement of the court of judicial control, by which the procedural act of initiating criminal investigation in the said case was declared legal.
