Chisinau's appeals chamber upholds extension of ex-PM Filat's arrest
CHISINAU. Nov 18 (Interfax) - The Appeals Chamber of Chisinau has upheld a lower court ruling to extend the arrest of former Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat.
The 30-day arrest extension was ordered last week by a court in Chisinau's Buiucani Sector and challenged by Filat's lawyers.
"We believe that in the current situation it would be logical to keep Vlad Filat under house arrest, given that he has been moved from the pre-trial detention center of the National Anti-Corruption Center to the pre-trial detention center N13 which lacks basic conditions for those under investigation," lawyer Igor Popa said.
The court rejected the lawyers' demands, having upheld the lower court ruling, he said.
The lawyer also said that Prosecutor Adriana Betisor banned Filat from speaking to the press after the court hearing. The defense lawyer called the ban illegal.
Filat was arrested at the parliamentary building on October 15 after parliamentarians voted to strip the former premier of parliamentary immunity. He has been charged with "passive corruption on a massive scale" and "taking advantage of his position and receiving massive bribes."
The charges are based on allegations made by businessman Ilan Sor after he turned himself in, claiming to have given Filat about $250 million in bribes since 2011.
Under Moldovan Criminal Code, Filat faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to 200,000 leus ($20,000) and being barred from public service or certain activities for ten to 15 years.