CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova's general prosecutor on Thursday called for lifting the immunity of a leader of the ruling pro-European coalition so he can be probed on suspicion of involvement in a bank fraud of up to $1.5 billion.

Prosecutor Corneliu Gurin told lawmakers he wanted to lift the immunity of former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, to investigate the money that went missing from three banks ahead of the November 2014 parliamentary election.

Gurin claims Filat had taken bribes of $260 million from a businessman and had indirectly given him control of one of the banks.

"We have conclusive evidence that Filat committed fraud worth hundreds of millions of euros at the Savings Bank," said Gurin. "It is a very serious crime, and involves the destruction of evidence."

The businessman, Ilan Shor, was chairman of the board at Savings Bank from April to Nov. 28, 2014.

U.S. investigative company Kroll, which is probing the disappearance of the money, says some 13.5 billion lei, worth about $1 billion at the time, was transferred from the bank on Nov. 24-26, 2014.

Filat, who was prime minister from 2009 to 2013, has denied wrongdoing and said the call to lift his immunity was politically motivated. Parliament will vote later whether to lift his immunity.

Some 2,000 people gathered outside Parliament on Thursday, the latest in a string of protests over the missing money.

The money disappeared from the Savings Bank, the Social Bank and Unibank before last year's parliamentary ballot. The banks were put under the National Bank of Moldova's administration in December and the losses covered by state reserves.