Veronica Dragalin confirms the fairness of the verdict against Vlad Filat: what next?.
In recent news, Veronica Dragalin, head of the anti-corruption agency, explained the position on the case of the country’s former Prime Minister Vlad Filat. She confirms that Filat’s sentence, which includes 9 years of imprisonment, was imposed fairly and in accordance with the law.
The decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) points to procedural violations during the trial, as the sessions were held in closed mode, which violated Filat’s right to a public trial. However, this does not invalidate his guilt arising from other evidence presented in the case. The ECHR recognized the violation of Filat’s rights, but this does not contradict his conviction.
As for Filat’s future, he has already served his time in prison, but there is still an unresolved money laundering case pending in court. It is also important to note that Filat has to return to the state about 20 million euros that were confiscated as part of the case, but nothing has been recovered so far.
To summarize, Filat is requesting a review of his case, but his main sentence remains in force. His story began in 2015, when he was arrested on corruption charges related to bank fraud. He denies his guilt and claims he was the victim of a political reprisal. Vlad Filat is already out of prison, having had his sentence reduced by almost 2 years due to unacceptable conditions of detention.
In January 2023, the ECHR also condemned the Moldovan government for procedural irregularities in the Filat case and called for compensation of 7,500 euros.
