MP Olesea Stamate, who was expelled from the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) following the scandal involving the release of highly dangerous criminals from prison, has stated that she has not yet given up her parliamentary mandate - despite the request made by party leader Igor Grosu after her expulsion from the party and its parliamentary group. She says she will continue to fight for justice, even though it is not yet clear in what capacity, IPN reports
"As I promised during the election campaign and in all my communications with citizens, I will continue to fight for justice and fairness. In what role I will do this, we’ll see. I will provide updates soon," Stamate said during a TV appearance on TVR Moldova.
Her departure from PAS comes in the context of a major scandal that broke after it was revealed that several individuals convicted of particularly serious crimes had been released from prison. The releases were carried out under the Amnesty Law adopted in 2021, as well as subsequent amendments supported and voted for by PAS MPs —-with Olesea Stamate among the authors of the initiative.
Stamate claims the legislative project was reviewed and approved by all relevant institutions: "The bill was developed in consultation with the Ministry of Justice, the National Penitentiary Administration, it received all positive reviews, anti-corruption expertise, and government approval. The law was passed not only by PAS deputies, but unanimously," Stamate emphasized.
Meanwhile, Dinu Plingau, president of the Dignity and Truth Platform (DA), criticized PAS's reaction and argued that Olesea Stamate should not be solely held accountable for a collective decision.
"I don’t understand why Olesea Stamate is left to justify all the problems that were in fact committed collectively. I’ve seen the signatures of multiple MPs on that bill. If Stamate is being asked to resign, then the resignation should also be requested from the Vice President of Parliament, Doina Gherman, who signed the project, as well as from the current head of the legal committee, Veronica Roșca, and the Minister of Justice, who issued a positive opinion. What about the presidential advisers on legal matters who oversaw the promulgation of this law? This is a collective issue," said Dinu Plingau.
On Friday, the director of the National Penitentiary Administration, Anatolie Falca, also resigned following a request from Prime Minister Dorin Recean. The Ministry of Justice has appointed Falca’s deputy, Alexandru Adam, as interim head of the ANP.
