In Moldova, a court sentenced the head of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutsul, to seven years in prison in a case involving the illegal financing of the pro-Russian Shor party.
As reported by TV8, this decision was handed down on Tuesday, August 5, by the Buiucani District Court in Chisinau.
In addition to Gutsul, the former secretary of the party’s central office, Svetlana Popan, will spend six years behind bars.
Neither Evgenia Gutsul nor Svetlana Popan commented on their sentences. They were escorted out of the courtroom by police.
“This is not a trial, but a public execution… I cannot say that there is any evidence there; it is all fiction,” said Gutsul’s lawyer, Sergei Moraru. He also announced his intention to appeal the decision in the Court of Appeals.
Before today’s hearing, the police formed a cordon in front of the courthouse. Gutsul’s supporters gathered on the opposite side of the street. A counter-protest was also held at the scene.
Evgenia Gutsul is accused of systematically importing funds from Russia to finance the activities of fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor’s party between 2019 and 2022.
The prosecution requested a nine-year prison sentence for the head of the Gagauzia autonomous region.
In March, Gutsul was detained at the Chisinau airport and taken into custody, which was later replaced by house arrest.
