The chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA), Veronica Dragalin, announced that anti-corruption prosecutors filed a request on 10 May to replace the measure of house arrest with preventive detention for former Democratic MP Vladimir Andronachi, investigated in the “bank fraud” case for fraud and money laundering in particularly large proportions.

The head of the PA claims that the reason behind the decision to change the measure applied to the former Democrat MP was that Vladimir Andronachi, who on 19 April was placed under house arrest for a period of 30 days and placed under electronic monitoring, “intentionally manipulated the bracelet on his leg in order to block the monitoring signal”.

“On May 4, 2023, at 7:56 a.m., the Probation Office, which is responsible for monitoring Vladimir Andronachi under house arrest, received information about the lack of signal from the bracelet. After the protocol, responsible staff telephoned Vladimir Andronachi, but he did not answer the calls, even though he is obliged to respond to the monitoring signals. The probation office called 112 and the police were sent to his home to check why the signal was not working and why he (Vladimir Andronachi) was not answering his phone.

Arriving at the scene, the police concluded that Vladimir Andronachi had intentionally manipulated the anklet in order to block the monitoring signal. For this reason, yesterday, on 10 May, the PA filed a request with the judge of the Chisinau court to replace the preventive measure of house arrest with preventive detention. The PA maintains that this preventive detention measure is absolutely necessary at this stage of the case”, announced Veronica Dragalin.

The chief prosecutor of the PA also mentioned that this week the criminal case against the former Democrat MP was assigned to another judge, and the first hearing on the case is scheduled to take place on 16 May 2023 at 16:00.

“The case was referred for trial on March 10, 2023. It was assigned to a judge who went on leave after being assigned the criminal case. There has been no court hearing since March 10, 2023. The decision to replace the preventive measure was issued by another judge. Last week, the SCM accepted the resignation request of the judge who received this criminal case.

This week, the case was assigned to another judge of the Chisinau Buiucani court. The PA was notified that a hearing will be held on 16 May 2023 at 16:00. The PA filed a request to accelerate the examination of the case, especially as this person has a preventive measure. The request for acceleration was rejected”, the head of the PA also announced.

On May 2, 2023, the Superior Council of Magistracy accepted the resignation request of magistrate Natalia Clevadî from the Chisinau Court of Appeals, who recently failed the integrity test of the Pre-Vetting Commission, and who, together with magistrate Tatiana Bivol, delivered the decision by which former Democratic deputy Vladimir Andronachi was placed under house arrest for 30 days.

By the decision of the Chisinau Court, Buiucani office of April 19, 2023, the former Democratic deputy Vladimir Andronachi, investigated in the “bank fraud” case for fraud and money laundering in particularly large proportions, was immediately released from Penitentiary No. 13 and placed under house arrest for a period of 30 days. The court imposed certain restrictions and obligations, including electronic monitoring.

At the time, anti-corruption prosecutors said that the application of house arrest was not justified on the grounds of the nature of the crime committed, the complexity of the case and its importance. According to the AP, being at home, “the defendant can communicate without hindrance with persons involved in the case, including witnesses, and could thus induce them to make untruthful statements and affect the course of justice”.

Former Democratic MP Vladimir Andronachi, who was expelled in November 2022 by the Ukrainian authorities, is listed in the criminal cases “bank fraud” and “metalferos”, which are being handled by the PA and the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organised Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS).

According to anti-corruption prosecutor Octavian Iachimovschi, in the “bank fraud” case, Andronachi is charged with the offences of “swindling in particularly large proportions in the interest of a criminal organisation” and “money laundering in particularly large proportions, also in the interest of a criminal organisation”.

In the “Metalferos” case, Andronachi is charged with “setting up and directing a criminal organisation”, fraud on a particularly large scale and money laundering.