Ex-Moldovan PM Filat convicted for corruption files application with ECHR - lawyer
CHISINAU. Aug 10 (Interfax) - Former Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat, sentenced to nine years in prison in a corruption case, has appealed his conviction with the European Court of Human Rights, Filat's lawyer Igor Popa said.
"What happened in this criminal case obviously constitutes a judicial mistake. I am sure that this case will extend the list of criminal cases lost by Moldova in the European Court. It's too bad that before the ECHR delivers its judgment, Vlad Filat will remain behind bars. But I am sure that justice will triumph in this case," Popa told journalists on Thursday.
The application says that Filat's trial involved violations of the Human Rights Convention, such as the right to a fair trial, and specifically, the right to a public hearing.
"I have fallen victim to proceedings held in non-transparent conditions, in secret, and I was prohibited from communicating with the mass media. Not a single argument was presented to prove that a public hearing might have somehow affected the proceedings," Filat said in his application to the ECHR.
Filat said the court turned down most of his petitions on inviting and hearing witnesses without explanation.
"The principle of equitability of the prosecution and defense was not observed, and the judges did not give guarantees of their impartiality," the application says.
It also claims that Moldova violated Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, which guarantees the right to respect for private and family life.
"The press deliberately publicized some events from my private life. In addition, throughout the proceedings, I was escorted to court by an excessive number of guards and was kept handcuffed, which forced the opinion of my guilt on society and caused damage to my public image," it said.
Filat was sentenced in June 2016 to nine years in prison with confiscation of property, and was deprived of the right to hold administrative positions for five years after his conviction ends. He was also fined 60,000 lei ($3,000). Filat had been charged with corruption, influence peddling, and accepting a bribe of $250 million from businessman Ilan Shor. The Moldovan Supreme Court of Justice later upheld the judgment.
