Gabriel Stati’s lawyer says police plan provocations in order to fabricate new evidence

Vitalie Nagacevschi, the lawyer for businessman Gabriel Stati, said that the police are trying to cause provocations in order to open a new case against his client, Info-Prim Neo reports. “They try to provoke altercations during walks, while the cells where Stati and Marinescu (Aurel Marinescu – e.n.) are held are searched practically every day. Searches were carried out on May 14, 15 and 16,” Nagacevschi told a news conference on Tuesday. The lawyer does not rule out that forbidden objects and substances could be planted in the cell. “For example, if they find a packet of 5 grams of heroine in the cells of Stati and Marinescu, they will institute criminal proceedings and the Prosecutor’s Office will report that these persons committed a crime,” Nagacevschi said. Nagacevschi describes the arrest and the extension of the arrest warrant as illegal. “According to the Penal Code, the prosecutor must lodge an application to court, asking that the arrest warrant is extended at least 5 days before the temporary arrest warrant expires. But the prosecutor was about 7 hours late,” the lawyer said. Vitalie Nagacevschi prepared an interpellation for Minister of the Interior Gheoghe Papuc whereby he seeks explanations over the presence of 15 employees of the Ministry of the Interior at the hearing where the arrest warrant was extended. “Persons in the Opposition are on friendly terms with Gabriel Stati’s father and the Communists hope they will make the Opposition vote for a Communist president if the two are set free,” Vitalie Nagacevschi added. Businessman Gabriel Stati and the head of the guard of Ascom Grup Aurel Marinescu are accused of organizing public disorder and of usurping state power. They were arrested at the airport in Odessa and were then extradited to Moldova. Stati pleads not guilty, saying he did not take part in the April 7 violent protests and did not run away on the arrest day, but went on a business trip to Odessa.