British lawyers were admitted to the trial of the leader of the Shor party in Moldova
Ilan Shor informed that the British firm BCL Solicitors LLP will protect the rights.
Ilan Shor. Photo: The Truth Archive
Judges hearing the case of Ilan Shor, who led the Shor party, the organizer of anti-government protests in Moldova, allowed lawyers he hired from Britain to attend the trial.
“During the hearing, the defense asked the court to allow UK lawyers to represent him in the trial. Despite the protest of the prosecutors, the court allowed them to enter the trial and gave them until February 13 to familiarize themselves with the materials of the criminal file. The next hearings were scheduled for February 13 and 20“, the press release states. message posted on Wednesday on the website of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova. Earlier, Shor said that his rights would be protected by the British company BCL Solicitors LLP. The representatives, Shor Shol’s lawyer, David Brasil, said that the representative of the Shor party informed the defense of the deprivation of his client’s fundamental rights, which had already taken place and which is not allowed in the UK.
Protests by opposition parties began in Moldova last summer, demanding the resignation of President Maia Sandu and the government of Natalia Gavrilița, who are accused of failing to deal with the economic crisis and rising prices. Protesters point to record inflation over the past 20 years (34% on an annual basis), the authorities’ refusal to negotiate better gas prices with Russia, as well as political pressure on opposition representatives. Several of its leaders, including the former president Igor Dodon, the vice-president of the Shor party Marina Tauber, were arrested and criminal cases were opened against approximately one of the social deputies in the parliament.
In October, special police forces forcibly dispersed the protestors’ tent camp, which they set up in the park between the parliament and presidential administration buildings. Then, dozens of supporters of the Shor party were detained by the Moldovan law enforcement officers. Previously, the Moldovan parliament granted parliamentary immunity to members of the Shor party, which in June 2017 was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for suspected involvement in the withdrawal of $1 billion from three Moldovan banks. The scandal caused mass protests, the fall of two governments and the collapse of the ruling coalition of pro-European parties, which enjoyed the support of the US and the EU. Shor appealed the verdict and was placed under judicial review pending the judges’ final decision. During this time, he became the mayor of Orhei, founded a party with his own name and led it in the parliament, becoming a deputy.