After five years in court, former APO chief Viorel Morari acquitted on two charges, convicted for interference in justice
Viorel Morari, the former head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office (APO), was acquitted of two charges: abuse of office and forgery of documents. However, he was found guilty of interfering with the course of justice. This decision was announced on Monday, October 27, after five years of examination in the first instance. Since the statute of limitations had expired, Morari will not face any criminal punishment.
The former head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office did not appear in court. The lawyers announced that they will appeal the decision, writes "Ziarul de Garda".
"In this case, there is no crime and Mr. Viorel Morari should have been acquitted on all charges. Obviously, we will appeal", one of the lawyers mentioned.
The prosecutor in the case, Vladislav Căruceru, stated that he will decide after examining the court's reasoned decision.
The sentence in the Viorel Morari case was to be pronounced on October 20. The president of the court panel, Angela Catană, postponed the decision, citing differences within the panel regarding the solution adopted.
The prosecutor Vladislav Căruceru requested that the former Chief Anticorruption Prosecutor be found guilty on all three counts, requesting a three-year suspended prison sentence for Morari and a ban on holding public office for a period of six years.
The examination of the case began in February 2020, following the release of the former head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office from pre-trial detention. He had been suspended from his position on December 9, 2019, by then Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, who also ordered a special inspection of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office.
As the head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, Viorel Morari had ordered the annulment of a previous refusal and the consolidation of the investigation into the illegal financing of the Socialist Party, known as the "Bahamas case," with an earlier money laundering case.
Shortly before his arrest, Morari had resumed the criminal investigation. This inquiry later included the well-known video recording featuring a black bag (kuliok), in which oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc was seen sending money to Igor Dodon, then the President of the Republic of Moldova, to finance the PSRM. This video became a part of the expanded criminal investigation.
