The anti-corruption prosecutor’s office in Chisinau reports that it has completed the criminal prosecution and sent it to court for consideration on the merits.
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The accusations – received money from the organized crime group for protests against the pro-Western president
Gutsul, who is also secretary of the Central Bureau of pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor’s outlawed Shor political party, is charged with two counts of knowingly accepting funding from an organized crime group. This prosecution was initiated in January 2022 based on a referral from the National Investigative Inspectorate and the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Moldova.
According to the evidence, it was established that “Evgenia Gutsul in the period 2019-2022, working as a secretary in the Monitoring, Planning and Control Department of the former political party “Shor” (declared unconstitutional by Decision of the Constitutional Court no. 10 of 19.06.2023 and deleted from the State Register of Legal Entities on 23.01.2024.), was actively involved in the systematic introduction of unaccounted financial funds into the Republic of Moldova, received by an organized criminal group, mainly from the Russian Federation, using air and ground flights (in both directions). These funds were subsequently integrated into the party’s activities to support its activities in the political arena of the Republic of Moldova,” said the statement issued by the prosecutor’s office and quoted by Moldova Live.
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There is another charge against Evgenia Gutsul – that in complicity, in the period October 2022 – November 2022, she coordinated the activity of some territorial offices of the former political party “Shor” in the regions of Moldova, being responsible for the verification, confirmation of the lists and remuneration of the participants in the protests organized by Shor’s formation in front of the state institutions in Chisinau. It is about the demonstrations against the country’s pro-Western president Maya Sandu, which were understood to have been financed by Shor – a Moldovan oligarch living in exile in Israel, close to the Kremlin and sanctioned by the US.
Photo: Getty Images
Gutsul knowingly accepted funding of the political party from an organized crime group totaling 42,498,532.40 lei – about 2.2 million euros.
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Similar criminal acts have also been incriminated against the other accomplice, who accepted about 9.7 million lei – funds intended to pay for protests organized by the political party, payment of unreported salaries (in envelopes) of members of the territorial services, etc.
The accused do not admit to the crimes committed.
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Thus, for the crime committed, the law provides for punishment in the form of a fine of 57,500 to 92,500 lei or imprisonment for 2 to 7 years, in both cases with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise certain activities for a period of 2 to 5 years.
A few days ago, a new political project was created in Moscow around Ilan Shor – “Pobeda”, with Yevgenia Gutsul also joining its leadership. She recently sought Vladimir Putin’s help against the Moldovan government, and is also trying to deepen economic and financial ties between her region and Moscow. Overall, the goal of Shor’s alliance is to get the presidential seat in the October 2024 elections and from there try to push the Kremlin’s agenda in Moldova.
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