MP Ștefan Gațcan on July 7 was traced by journalists of “Ziarul de Iași” to the hall of the Internațional Hotel while waiting for his family. The publication reports that the Moldovan MP said he will return home and will make important statements in Parliament, IPN reports.

According to the Romanian publication, Ștefan Gațcan stayed hidden in the Iasi hotel Internațional together with his wife and the two children for a week. The police in Iași knew about the presence the MP in Iasi and discreetly kept him under supervision, in case he was subject to an attack.

“The General Inspectorate of Romanian Police on July 5 received a notification from a man, saying that MP Ștefan Gațcan is held hostage on the territory of Iasi County. As a result, police officers of the Iasi Criminal Investigations Service carried out examinations and contacted the person, who said that the notification was fake and he does not know the man he submitted it,” says the article.

The MP told the Romanian journalists that he didn’t run away, but came to vacation and he didn’t feel threatened somehow. “I will make complete statements in Moldova’s Parliament. There are many speculations. I wasn’t abducted. I chose to leave voluntarily. I came to Romania because I can come here and no one stops me. I stayed in Romania for several days. I’m fine as you see,” stated Ștefan Gațcan. In ten minutes, he and his family went down in a hurry to the hotel’s underground parking garage, got onto a Mercedes SUV and left speedily. Sources of “Ziarului de Iași” said the MP was “persuaded” to return to Moldova.

Ștefan Gațcan was elected MP in constituency No. 38 Hâncești, where he ran on behalf of the PSRM, on March 15 this year. On June 30, Ștefan Gațcan announced his decision to defect from the Socialist parliamentary group to the Pro Moldova group. According to press reports, the MP received half a million U.S. dollars for this “betrayal”. To change his mind, the MP was threatened with death and beaten.

In only one day, on July 1, Ștefan Gațcan handed over his resignation from the post of MP. The Party of Socialists issued a press release, saying Ștefan Gațcan remains part of the PSRM’s team and will be actively engaged in the work of the party’s social group so that he uses his professional experience in drafting bills related to the health policies. Pro Moldova said the MP was abducted.