The prosecution demands that businessman Veaceslav Platon should be jailed for 23 years. In the April 19 hearing, the state prosecutor and the lawyer presented the closing arguments. On April 20, there will be replies and most probably the sentence will be pronounced. The defense, which asks for acquittal, requested to repeat the investigation, but the request was rejected, IPN reports.

Prosecutor Andrei Baiesu told the press that they ask for a jail term of 23 years cumulatively and a ban on holding particular posts in the banking system for a five-year period.

Lawyer Eduard Rudenko said the defense pleaded for acquittal. The prosecution based its conclusions only on statements of witnesses, which are rather personal conclusions, not proofs.

Eduard Rudenko noted that the deliberations will most probably take place after replies on Thursday and the judgment will be then passed. Veaceslav Platon will be escorted to the courtroom. The defense will appeal the sentence to a higher court if it is a conviction.

Veaceslav Platon was charged with swindle and money laundering that caused damage estimated at over 800 million lei to Banca de Economii. The prosecution reached the conclusion that the money obtained illegally as loans was transferred to the accounts of offshore companies to hide its origin. Later, a part of this money was used to repay loans raised from Moldovan banks.