The former lawmaker Artur Reșetnicov is denouncing his “illegal arrest” and the “lies” told about him and his family.

“It’s a fabricated case. There is no illicit enrichment”, reads a hand-written note posted on Reșetnicov’s Facebook account, referring to the criminal charges brought against him and four other former MPs.

Reșetnicov claims it’s a “completely politically motivated case organized and coordinated by the current government” to divert public opinion from the “very serious social and economic problems” the country is facing.

He added that his arrest is “retaliation” for his decisions as a Constitutional Court judge in 2018-2019, and that the initiation of criminal proceedings against him without the Court’s prior consent is “a serious violation of the Moldovan Constitution”.

With his family’s money seized following searches, his wife’s business activity “blocked” and himself in detention, Reșetnicov complains his two minor children and his elderly parents have been left “without sources for living”.