The first court hearing in the case in which the head of the Parliament's Legal Department, Ion Creanga, is accused of treason and plot against Moldova, took place today. The suspended official said he would prove his innocence in court. On the other side, state prosecutors claim they have sufficient evidence to prove his guilt. Prosecutors also insist on investigating Creanga under arrest, IPN reports.
According to prosecutor Dumitru Stefirta, the risk of evasion is obvious, given the seriousness of the offense and the fact that the accused acted in the interests of the Russian Federation. There is also a risk of interference by the fact that the witnesses are former subordinates of the defendant, on whom pressure could be brought to bear.
The state prosecutor also said that there is more than sufficient evidence, there are witnesses, the defendant was caught in flagrante delicto when he was collecting money.
The Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases states that the head of the Parliament's Legal Department, suspended from his post, is suspected of conspiratorial communication with the then assistant of the military attaché of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau in 2023-2024.
As a result of special investigative measures, with the support of the Intelligence and Security Service, the parliamentary official was detained in July, when he was receiving from the assistant of the military employee of the Russian embassy 500 dollars, and another 1100 dollars were taken from his residence. Subsequently, Creanga was remanded in custody, a measure which has been upheld by the court.
According to the Criminal Code, treason under these circumstances is punishable by imprisonment of 15 to 20 years, deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise certain activities for a term of 10 to 15 years.
