“I, Vladimir Andronachi, will not flee the country…”. The reaction of the ex-Democrat MP to the statements of the head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office

Former Democrat MP Vladimir Andronachi, who was named in three criminal cases and released from house arrest in early August, says he will appear before law enforcement bodies and the court “whenever” he is summoned. His reaction comes two days after the head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA), Veronica Dragalin, criticised the Chisinau court’s decision to release the former MP from house arrest, saying that “22 thousand lei is not a guarantee that will prevent this person from fleeing the country”.

Thus, in a statement sent to the press on Wednesday, August 16, Andronachi said that he would not flee the country and would obey public order.                  

“(…) In September 2021 I was abroad, being employed as a consultant for an international company. On the day of serving the summons to wife Andronachi Nadezhda, I was ill with Covid, being in a serious condition and could not be physically present at the prosecution body. The court and the prosecutor were informed of this fact, with the appropriate evidence attached, at the hearing of the prosecutor’s application for the application of pre-trial detention. Regrettably, the court disregarded the evidence of my inability to appear and remanded me in custody (…).                          

(…) In the context of alleged evasion, I declare with full responsibility that I will appear before the law enforcement agencies and the court whenever I am summoned. During the investigation, I have shown openness to cooperate with the prosecution, I wish to attend every court hearing and to make statements in order to elucidate all the circumstances with a view to establishing the truth.                           

I have received support from trustworthy people, who in turn trust me and have guaranteed by their own reputation that I, Vladimir Andronachi, will not flee the country and that I will obey public order and at the same time I will approach the judicial process with maximum procedural diligence and responsibility (…)”, says Andronachi.                    

On Monday, August 14, Veronica Dragalin, chief prosecutor of the PA), said that she does not agree with the decision taken by Judge Gheorghe Balan to release from house arrest the former Democratic deputy Vladimir Andronachi, who was involved in three criminal cases (the “Metalferos” case, the “Consulate of Moldova in Odessa” case and the “Bank fraud” case). The head of the PA came up with more details about the decision and the file in a Facebook live.

According to the head of the PA, even if according to the prosecutor’s office the decision is incorrect, the law would not allow to challenge it at this stage.              

“22 thousand lei is not a guarantee that will prevent this person from fleeing the country. But this is the judge’s decision and we will respect it, because this is how the law works. But we come publicly to explain the position of the Prosecutor’s Office, of the prosecutors, so that society, journalists and all the rest understand why what is happening in this case is happening. (…) There have been several decisions in the course of this case with which we, the prosecutors, do not agree, but the law does not allow us to challenge these decisions before a hierarchical judge, because this is written in the Code of Criminal Procedure,” the chief prosecutor stressed.                        

Vladimir Andronachi was released from house arrest. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announced that the decision of the Chisinau Buiucani Court of 11 August 2023 rejected the request of the state prosecutor to extend the preventive measure “house arrest” against Vladimir Andronachi and, respectively, admitted the request of the defence to replace the preventive measure from house arrest to personal guarantee.                    

Subsequently, the PA confirmed the information published by ZdG about guarantees that allowed Vladimir Andronachi’s release from house arrest. According to a press release, the defense submitted four written requests for guarantors – from two mayors of the Cahul district, an elderly person holding the “Gloria Muncii” order, and a representative of a religious cult.               

• Who “guaranteed” Vladimir Andronachi’s release and what the “personal guarantee” provides under the Code of Criminal Procedure                
• The names of the people who “guaranteed” Vladimir Andronachi’s release. Three of them, PDM representatives           
• Who is the judge who released former MP Vladimir Andronachi from house arrest. Career details             

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 under the management of the PA and the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS).