Plahotniuc lawyers challenge judge replacement in bank fraud appeal

Lawyers representing former Moldovan politician Vladimir Plahotniuc have filed 41 requests during the first appeal hearing of the “bank fraud” case at the Centru Court of Appeal.

A primary point of contention is the replacement of judge Vitalie Budeci with Vitalie Pîslariuc. Defense attorney Lucian Rogac challenged this change, arguing that the replacement was an arbitrary designation by the court president rather than a random selection through the Integrated Case Management Programme, which is required by law.

Additionally, the defense requested the court reject an appeal filed by businessman Veaceslav Platon, asserting that Platon is not a party to the proceedings and has no legal right to challenge the ruling. The defense also sought to question witnesses who were not heard during the first-instance proceedings, a request that was denied by the court due to time constraints.