The lawyers for the Liberal-Democratic MP Vlad Filat said their client’s rights were violated when he was transferred from the remand unit of the National Anticorruption Center to Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau. According to these, Vlad Filat’s right to contact his wife and his lawyers to inform them about his detention place wasn’t respected, IPN reports.

In a communique, the law firm “Popa & Associates” says the legislation provides that immediately after the transfer, the detainee is allowed to inform his family, the lawyer or another person about the place where he is held. As Vlad Filat was transferred to Penitentiary No. 13, he had the right, while the Penitentiary’s administration was obliged to allow him to contact his relatives and his lawyers. However, despite the legal provisions, Vlad Filat was allowed to contact his wife by phone the next day, on October 24. None of Vlad Filat’s lawyers was contacted to be informed about the transfer of their client to Penitentiary No. 13.

The communique also says that when the Penitentiary’s administration repeatedly refused to allow the lawyers to have a meeting with their client on October 23-25, at a10:30pm on October 26 Vlad Filat was ultimately visited by lawyer Igor Popa at the detention place. ”The detention conditions are acceptable, while Vlad Filat’s state of health is satisfactory,” it is said in the press release.

Given the groundless refusal of the representatives of Penitentiary No.13 to allow the lawyers to meet with their client, the lawyers filed a complaint to the Penitentiary’s administration by which they asked that Vlad Filat should be offered unconditional access to meetings with them so that his right to defense is effectively exercised.