Vladimir Plahotniuc

Moldovan deputies taking a vote in the Parliament, Photo: EPA/Doru Dumitru

General Prosecutor Alexandr Stoianoglo earlier on Monday said approval of the lifting of immunity was needed "to detain, search for, arrest and prosecute the deputy". Jardan was promptly detained for 72 hours right after the session ended.

Romania is committed to remaining the most sincere supporter of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, as the neighbouring country reaffirms its determination to strengthen its European path, according to the Joint Statement signed by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu.

The US embassy in Moldova reacted angrily on Thursday after the Moldovan parliament cancelled the sale of the former Republican Stadium in Chisinau intended for a new US embassy.

The fugitive Moldovan tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc, who is now in the US, has filed a lawsuit against the US State Department and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after being banned from the US on January 13 "due to his involvement in significant corruption".

Moldova's General Prosecutor, Alexandr Stoianoglo, on Monday said the fugitive tycoon Vlad Plahotniuc, the former leader of the Democratic Party, PD, had illegally got hold of 100 million US dollars from the banking system.

Support in the Moldovan parliament for Prime Minister Ion Chicu's coalition government is slipping away, as the Socialist Party, PSRM, and its Democratic Party, PD, allies now only hold 54 of the 101 seats in the legislature - a majority of three.

A former Democratic Party deputy, Constantin Tutu, surrendered to Moldovan law enforcement agencies on Friday at the Albita-Leuseni border crossing point with Romania, wearing medical gloves and a protective mask when taken into custody.

The US embassy in Chisinau announced on Thursday evening that procedures to send Vlad Plahotniuc back to Moldova have already been launched but that he cannot be deported quickly.

Party and the centre-left former ruling Democratic Party led by ex-Prime Minister Pavel Filip signed an agreement on Monday to split the cabinet portfolios between them.

Until he was barred entry in January, fugitive Moldovan oligarch Plahotniuc and his party spent millions to gain access and influence in the US.