Filat was dramatically arrested in parliament last October over allegations that included he had taken bribes worth some USD 260 million as part of a broader scandal that saw a billion dollars vanish.
Filat has denied the charges and even gone on hunger strike to protest his detention.
Supporters argue he is being used as a scapegoat by Moldova's murky political elite.
"During this unprecedented case not one piece of evidence was put forward that proved my client's guilt," his lawyer Igor Popa said. The verdict can be appealed.
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In April 2015 the Central Bank of Moldova discovered that three banks had granted loans worth USD 1 billion, equivalent to around 10 percent of the country's GDP, to unidentified beneficiaries.
The disappearance of the money sparked a wave of indignation in the country of 3.5 million and a protracted political crisis that has seen mass street protests and government turmoil.
A tiny nation wedged between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is often seen in terms of a tug-of-war between Russia and the West.
But the scandal saw nominally pro-Western and pro-Russian forces from the right and left temporarily put aside their differences to challenge a ruling elite they accuse of using pro-European rhetoric to cover up graft.