Moldovan regional head jailed for 7 years over illegal funding of pro-Kremlin party
Evghenia Gutul, the head of Moldova's autonomous Gagauzia region, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Aug. 5 over illegal funding of the now-banned pro-Russian Shor Party, Moldovan news outlet NewsMaker reported.
A Chisinau court ruled that the politician was guilty of systematically bringing funds from Russia to Moldova for the party's needs between 2019 and 2022, when she was its secretary.
The Shor Party, founded by fugitive pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor, was banned by Moldova's Constitutional Court in 2023.
The ruling comes shortly after Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia and Shor's allies of planning to interfere in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections.
Gutul was also sentenced for "deliberately receiving money from an organized criminal group" in the amount of 42.5 million Moldovan lei (about $2.5 million).
Prosecutors said the funds were used by the Shor Party to pay for anti-government protests, among other purposes.
Svetlana Popan, another former party secretary, was also jailed for six years over illegal party funding in the case.
Gutul was sentenced to seven years in a semi-closed prison, a form of correctional facility with a less strict regime than a full-closed prison. She must also pay the state roughly $2.5 million as compensation. The ruling can be appealed.
The politician was detained in March and was later held in house arrest. She denies the charges, calling them politically motivated. Ahead of the verdict, Gutul's supporters staged a protest in front of the courthouse.
Gutul, who has been governor of Gagauzia since 2023, has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the EU for her ties to Shor. Chisianu and the Western countries also accuse the regional leader of maintaining ties to Russia.
Gagauzia is an autonomous territory in southern Moldova that partly borders Ukraine's Odesa Oblast. It has traditionally favored closer relations with Russia while opposing EU integration.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called the verdict against Hutsul a "disgrace, a calamity, and a disaster that has befallen Moldova and its people."
Recent years saw Moldova's pro-EU leadership increasingly warn against Russia's attempts at destabilizing the country's political situation and its path toward European integration.
