Lupu and Filat reluctant to comment on Plahotniuc's alleged double identity

“I'm not a judge by profession and I'm not in a position to pass judgments, to decide what is legal and what is not”, stated Moldova's acting President Marian Lupu when asked by reporters to comment on the alleged double identity of his party colleague, the controversial businessman Vlad Plahotniuc, who reportedly changed his name in the Romanian identification documents, but failed to do the same in the Moldovan papers. “If we are living in a state based on the rule of law, then there are people invested with specific authority to decide such matters. This is my response”, said Marian Lupu. Prime Minister Vlad Filat, too, avoided to make elaborate comments on the issue. “There are special institutions and people who are qualified to do this. I only can say that if a law is broken, the responsible person, regardless of his status, should bear the consequences under the law”, said Filat. The Romanian newspaper Adevarul on Thursday published an article saying that the richest Moldovan politician, Vlad Plahotniuc, who also holds the Romanian citizenship, has changed his name in the Romanian papers to Vlad Ulinici. His wife and two children followed suit. But the changes are not reflected in the Moldovan papers, as well, leading to a double identity, which according to legal experts, is unlawful. “If he changed his name in Romania, he was required to do the same in his country of origin, as well”, said Lucia Ciobanu, the head of the Romanian Civil Registration Service.