Magistrates of the Chișinău Ciocana Court partially accepted on Thursday, 21 July, the request of anti-corruption prosecutors and extended for 30 days the house arrest measure against former SIS director Vasile Botnari, who is the subject of a criminal case on illicit enrichment, reports the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA). Law enforcement officials say that the court did not “offer a proper assessment of the arguments put forward” and will appeal the decision taken against the former SIS director to the Chisinau Court of Appeal.

The court examined on Thursday the request of the anti-corruption prosecutor to extend the preventive measure in the form of pre-trial detention for a period of 30 days against the former director of the Intelligence and Security Service, Vasile Botnari.

As a result of the examination, the magistrates partially admitted the request of the anti-corruption prosecutors and placed the former SIS director under house arrest for a period of 30 days.

“Therefore, taking into account the fact that, when issuing the house arrest warrant in respect of the person concerned, the court did not provide an appropriate assessment of the arguments put forward by the prosecutor such as: the risk of interference of the accused in the normal course of justice, influencing and exerting pressure on witnesses who have not yet been heard, destruction and deterioration of evidence, since the criminal prosecution is still in full swing, the prosecutors will appeal to the Chisinau Court of Appeal against the decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeals, Ciocana seat,” the PA states.

Magistrates of the Chisinau Ciocana Court ordered on Monday, 20 June, the replacement of the pre-trial detention of the former director of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), Vasile Botnari, with house arrest for 30 days. On Wednesday 22 June, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (AP) announced that it had appealed to the Chisinau Court of Appeal against the house arrest warrant imposed on the former SIS director.

On 29 March, anti-corruption prosecutors raided the home of the former head of the SIS, who was the subject of a criminal case brought against him for unlawful enrichment of a person of public dignity.

On 20 April, the magistrates of the Chisinau Ciocana Court changed the preventive measure from solitary confinement to house arrest for 30 days for former SIS director Vasile Botnari. Anti-corruption prosecutors have challenged the decision of the judges of the Chisinau Ciocana Court of Appeal (CA) to place Botnari under house arrest.

In December 2020, the National Integrity Authority (ANI) investigated twice the money paid by the former director of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), Vasile Botnari, in the case of the expulsion of the 7 Turkish teachers.