The Ciocana Court’s decision to release ex-Premier Vlad Filat on parole will be appealed to a higher court. Minister of Justice Fadei Nagachevski said the new administration of Penitentiary No. 13 decided to appeal the decision that aroused bitter controversy in society. According to the minister, the release of Filat generated suspicions and the issue should be clarified, IPN reports.
“The Penitentiary Administration will hold internal inquiries. The prosecution bodies were requested to clarify the penal aspects, while the Probation Service to monitor the implementation of the ruling of the Ciocana Court. The administration of Penitentiary No. 13 decided to file an appeal against this decision tomorrow morning as there are elements that cast doubt on the legality of the whole process,” Fadei Nagachevski stated in the TVR Moldova program “Emphasis on today”.
According to him, the release of Filat on parole reveals that there are very serious problems in the legal system. “The case of Filat shows many things didn’t change during the six-month tenure of the former minister of justice and this is a proof that things do not stand as well as they claimed,” said the minister, noting the administration of Penitentiary No. 13 was named by ex-justice minister Olesea Stamate and the developments took place namely during her tenure. “We want to be sure there was no political interference and all the signals I receive are not true. Therefore, I asked all the competent authorities to clarify the situation.”
Fadei Nagachevski said they will suggest amending the law if it turns out that there are legislative shortcomings. They suspect the legislation regarding release on parole was interpreted abusively. “I don’t think the compensatory system should be applied in conjunction with the release on parole. I will clarify this aspect as well.”
Vlad Filat was arrested in October 2015 and was sentenced to nine years in jail for influence peddling and passive corruption in June 2016. He was held at Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau and was set free on December 3. In a news conference on December 4, he said the procedure for releasing him on parole was perfectly legal.
