The application filed by President Maia Sandu against former Prime Minister Ion Chicu for the defense of honor, dignity and professional reputation, the recovery of moral damages and compensation of legal expenses was rejected as unfounded. The decision was handed down by the magistrates of the Chisinau Court, Centre Court, after three years of examination.

On 21 July 2020, Maia Sandu, then PAS leader, sued then Prime Minister Ion Chicu, accusing him of lying. Maia Sandu claimed that Ion Chicu had made false accusations against her, such as that during Sandu’s government the debt that “Avia Invest” owed to the state was rescheduled, and that in 2013 he had voted for the concession of the Chisinau International Airport, as well as the state guarantees after the theft of the billion.

“Maia Sandu sued me for my claim that she was complicit in the theft of the billion (if members of the then government opposed the release of state guarantees in the amount of 14 billion lei – the theft could not have taken place)(…). After 3 years of examination, the court ruled in my favour. It is easy to assume, however, that Maia will “ask for satisfaction” at the Court of Appeal, in her blind hope that everything there is already “reformed” by Litvinenco and Stamate. Except that no “party reform” of justice can cover your crimes, Maia”, commented today on Facebook former premier Ion Chicu.

The decision of the Chisinau Court has the right to appeal to the Chisinau Court of Appeal, within 30 days of the ruling. President Maia Sandu’s lawyer, Constantin Chira, said that the ruling has been challenged at the Chisinau Court of Appeal.

On May 14, 2020, following the meeting of the Supreme Security Council, former President Igor Dodon came out in front of the media and accused the government led at the time by Maia Sandu of not having taken the opportunity in June-July 2019 to return Chisinau International Airport to state management and rescheduled the “Avia Invest” debt in the amount of 118 million lei. In reaction, PAS denied this information and said that the Executive had nothing to do with debt rescheduling and the decision was approved by Octavian Nicolaescu, the former director of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Subsequently, on May 15, 2020, former Prime Minister Ion Chicu also came out with a Facebook post, stating that “those, who in 2013 raised their hand for the criminal concession of the airport, and in 2014 for the legalization of the theft of the billion, could not have on July 5, 2019 to want to return to the state the only international airport in the country. They were waiting in ospection for Rothschild, how to spoil his mood. If the previous government had done in July 2019 what we are doing now and had not given Shor time to pay the 118 million lei, the airport would have already been returned to the state”.

And in reaction, the former PAS leader announced that she will sue Ion Chicu “to ask him to admit his lies”.