Prosecutors are asking the Chisinau Court of Appeals to review a lower court’s ruling to place Igor Dodon under house arrest for 30 days, saying the measure is not enough to prevent the former president from interfering with the investigation and contacting with other persons of interest.

According to the prosecutors, the argument brough fourth by the court that “the house arrest may positively influence the course of the investigation and the process of obtaining evidence in the case” does not hold. Moreover, they think the risk is high that Dodon could abscond, given that he is a frequent traveler and holds a diplomatic passport.

“The evidence presented by the prosecutors indicates stable and constant ties with the Russian Federation, with the suspect being the president of a nongovernmental association with funding exclusively from the Russian Federation, and the co-founder of that association being a Russian organization. Moreover, the holding of high public positions to which the court refers cannot constitute in itself the basis for assessing the need to choose a less severe preventive measure”, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

The prosecutors request that the house arrest measure be replaced with preventive arrest, to be spent in a remand center.

The appellate court will examine the matter on May 13, 1:00PM.

Igor Dodon has been arrested on charges of corruption, receiving illegal financing for the Socialist Party, and high treason.