After three postponements and an admitted request for abstention, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) returns on Thursday, January 25, to the case in which former prime minister Vlad Filat requests a review of the trial in which he was sentenced to 9 years in prison. The action became possible after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Filat did not have a fair trial. The Center for Investigative Journalism (CIJM) has published an investigation from which it appears that at least two of the people, whom Ilan Șor claims were intermediaries in the granting of bribes for 320 million lei, have never been to the Republic of Moldova and don't even know Vlad Filat. CIJM reporters also revealed how Filat managed to live comfortably after his conditional release from prison.

Vlad Filat declares that he was illegally convicted and tried behind closed doors in a 'captured state,' and judging the case in a public trial will not only ensure his fundamental rights are respected but will also give him the opportunity to prove his innocence.

'To restore justice, we requested the Supreme Court of Justice to repair the fundamental violations committed by the national courts when judging the case. This time, the national courts are going to take into account the findings of the European Court in the judgment sentencing the state, namely the fact that I did not have a public trial in which I could defend myself and prove my innocence. The court also admitted that other rights in a fair trial were violated, such as the refusal to hear witnesses, the appointment of experts, etc.,' the former prime minister wrote on his social media page.

Filat was detained on October 15, 2015, for passive corruption and influence peddling. The politician was left without parliamentary immunity with the vote of 79 deputies, at the request of the former General prosecutor, Corneliu Gurin. The request came after a self-denunciation by Ilan Șor.

The former prime minister was released from prison in December 2019, after serving four years and two months of a 9-year prison sentence."