Olesea Stamate leaves the PAS faction but keeps her MP mandate: "I trusted the team I was part of"
MP Olesea Stamate announced that she is leaving the parliamentary faction of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), but she will retain her mandate and continue to work as an unaffiliated MP. The decision was made public through a post on her Facebook page.
“In recent weeks, I have endured one of the most challenging periods of my life. My family and I have faced a wave of public criticism and accusations in a tense and complex context. This has been a painful personal and professional experience that has compelled me to reflect deeply,” Stamate wrote.
She explained that she has thoroughly analyzed her actions concerning the amnesty bill, asserting that everything was conducted by the law and with full transparency: “I have a clear conscience regarding myself, the law, and the values I hold dear.”
Stamate regrets the impact this situation has had on her family, as well as the reactions within her party.
“I sincerely regret the emotional impact of this situation on my family, and I offer my full support to my loved ones, who have faced difficult times. At the same time, I regret some institutional and political reactions, including of some party colleagues. I trusted the team I was a part of, and I am sorry that I found myself in such a situation.”
Stamate emphasized, “I remain open to providing full explanations, documents, and relevant information regarding my activities—all in the spirit of transparency and public accountability.”
The ruling party excluded the member of Parliament Olesea Stamate – co-author of the bill – and asked her resignation. The scandal sparked a wave of harsh reactions. The opposition vehemently criticized the government, demanding the resignation of the entire faction and early elections. In turn, experts point out that this legislative error risks compromising the image of the government, providing the opposition with fertile ground to politically exploit the situation and undermine citizens' trust in the current government.
In response to the scandal, Parliament adopted new legislative amendments in an emergency regime. Thus, persons sentenced to life imprisonment will no longer be able to simultaneously benefit from both a reduction in sentence and conditional release from prison. The bill was approved by a vote of 54 deputies from the PAS faction, while the communist and socialist opposition parliamentarians abstained but allowed the initiative to be adopted in two readings.
The Constitutional Court also suspended the action of some provisions of the Law on Amnesty on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Moldova. The decision was made on Tuesday, April 8, during the examination of a complaint filed by the Prosecutor General, Ion Munteanu.
In addition to the exclusion of Olesa Stamate from PAS, the scandal also led to the resignation of the head of the National Penitentiary Administration (ANP), Anatolie Falca, at the request of Prime Minister Dorin Recean. Also, PAS announced that it would adopt new measures following an “extensive analysis” of the situation and asked law enforcement institutions to investigate all persons involved in this process.
After being expelled from the Action and Solidarity Party and asked to resign, MP Olesea Stamate came up with a detailed reaction in which she explained the real context of the legislative changes that were attributed to her, noting that the problem does not lie in the law, but in the “defective way” in which it is applied.
Also, the Ministry of Justice announced that it had initiated an investigation into the application of the Amnesty Law, after suspicions of abuse and inconsistency in the release of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment emerged. The checks target the activity of the National Penitentiary Administration (ANP), the eligibility assessment committees, and how the law was applied by those responsible in the system. After completing the investigation, the Ministry will send official notifications to the competent authorities, including regarding the possible criminal liability of those involved, and will announce the results of the investigations.
We remind you that, following the legislative amendments supported by the parliamentary majority in 2021 and 2022, nine life convicts managed to get out of prison, according to ANP data. Among them, two criminals convicted of particularly serious crimes—Alexandru Sinigur. The first returned to prison, based on an open murder case, while the second managed to leave the country, according to the IGP.
