A former member of the Moldovan parliament has been sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of high treason and espionage for Russia.

Moldova's Prosecutor-General's Office announced on March 13 that the former parliament member was also barred from serving in public office for four years after his release from prison.

The statement does not mention the ex-lawmaker's name, but media reports identify him as Iurie Bolboceanu.

Bolboceanu was arrested on March 17, 2017, and charged with espionage and high treason.

Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service said then that Bolboceanu had been caught while meeting with a Russian spy.

Bolboceanu’s name circulated in the 2016 trial of a former policeman and a model who were sentenced for attempts to bribe several lawmakers from pro-European political parties in exchange of convincing them to turn pro-Russian.

With reporting by ProTV and Realitatea.md