DISINFO: Former prime minister Vlad Filat was released from detention at the request of the government of Maia Sandu
SUMMARY
Maia Sandu was indebted to Filat, that is why Sandu government asked for the early release of ex prime minister of Moldova. On November 12, the day of Sandu’s resignation, the government made 3 illegal decisions in a hurry, one of them being the early release of Vlad Filat, the former party boss Maya Sandu.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative spreading the idea that pro-European political forces from Eastern countries defend corruption, oligarchs and their interests. Vlad Filat is the former prime minister of Moldova who was in office from 2009 to 2013, with Maia Sandu being for a short period part of his Government, as a Minister of Education (from 2012 to 2015). On June 2016, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison, being found guilty of passive corruption and influence trafficking. He claimed that this it is a politically motivated criminal case. On Tuesday, 3 December 2019, Vlad Filat was released conditionally before the deadline, by the court, based on an attempt by the prison administration in which he is located. Maia Sandu led the Moldovan Government from June to November 2019. There is no proof of a government decision to ask the prison to claim the release of Filat. In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Maia Sandu rejected this accusation: "The government I led has nothing in common with this decision. The decision of the 'famous' judge Ciocana for the release of Filat raises great questions, as well as many other decisions adopted by the justice of the Republic of Moldova. Dodon's accusations against my team are aberrant, and the complicity of prison 13, which presents a paper dated the day of the government's dismissal, is a gross misdemeanour," she stated. Similar case presenting Maia Sandu as a person who has some ”debts” to Vlad Filat see here.