The justice from Chisinau rejects the request of Evghenia Guțul. Gagauzia's Bascan remains behind bars

Gagauziei's Bascan, Evghenia Guțul, sentenced to seven years in prison and handcuffed in the courtroom in August, remains in preventive arrest. The magistrates of the Center Court of Appeal rejected the appeal of the defense, during the first hearing regarding the challenge of the sentence given by the substantive court.

Evghenia Guțul and Svetlana Popan attended the court hearing online. Photo: Screenshot

Evghenia Guțul, as well as the former secretary of the former Șor party, Svetlana Popan, were present online at the court hearing, this being their first appearance after sentence to prison.

The two accusations advocate innocent.

Condemned to prison

On August 5, the Gagazia Bașcana, Evghenia Guțul, was sentenced to seven years of prison, as well as the confiscation of almost 41,000,000 Moldovan lei. Next to her was convicted and secretary to the former formation Șor, Svetlana Popan, she being deprived of freedom for a term of six years and being confiscated about 10,000,000 Moldovan lei.

“Both accused were deprived of the right to exercise activities related to accounting and financial organization within the political parties, as well as the right to be member of the political parties, for a term of 5 years. The seizure applied to their goods was maintained. Also, the court ordered the confiscation for the benefit of the state of the crime bodies raised in the searches: financial means in the amount of about 5.8 million lei and 2 mobile phones ”, It is shown in a statement of the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office (PA) from Chisinau.

The sentences were dictated for “The knowledge of the financing of the electoral competitor and the political party from an organized criminal group”and according to the evidence of the accusation „Evghenia Guțul, from 2019-2022, working as secretary within the Department of Monitoring, Planning and Control of the former Political Party” Șor “(declared unconstitutional by the decision of the Constitutional Court no. Desntulated in the Republic of Moldova, from an organized criminal group, predominantly from the Russian Federation, by carrying out air and terrestrial races (turn-rein), which they would later integrated in the activity of the party, in order to support its activity on the political arena of the Republic of Moldova. On another end of accusation, Evghenia Guțul, as an accomplice, between September 2022 – November 2022, would have coordinated the activity of some territorial offices of the former political party “Șor” from the districts of the Republic of Moldova, being responsible for the verification, confirmation of the lists and the remuneration of the participants in the protests organized by the Political Party “Șor” Presidency, the General Prosecutor's Office, etc.), thus knowing, knowingly, the financing of the political party from an organized criminal group, in a total amount of 40 905 637 lei ”.

In the case of Svetlane Popan, the accusation emphasizes that “He was responsible for the Territorial Office of Chisinau during the period September 2022 – November 2022. It would have accepted, well, the financing of the Political Party from the Organized Criminal Group, in a total amount of 9,748 425 lei, financial means intended for the payment of the protests organized by the Political Party, the payment of the territorials”.

Evghenia Guțul also appears in a criminal case initiated for violations related to the election campaign for her choice as a 2023 Gagauzian. She denies the accusations.

The man of Ilan Șor

Gagauzia is only formally led by Evghenia Guțul, the decisions being taken in the Kremlin, through the fugitive iligar Şor, the main ally in the destabilization of Chisinau, some experts consulted by “Adevărul” have previously said.

Evghenia Guțul became known after, in May 2023, she won the election in Gagauzia, applying for the position of Bashcan on the lists of the formation Șor, the Party of the Fugar ilan Șor oligar, taken out the same year. Until then, it was not present in the political life of the pro-Russian region, nor in the public activity of the party.

In the meantime, it has taken several visits to Russia. In March last year, he had a meeting with Vladimir Putin, claiming that he informed the Kremlin leader about the alleged pressures of Chisinau on Comrat.

Shortly after, Ilan Șor's close to Moscow again, threatening Chisinau with the independence of Gagauzia if the Republic of Moldova will be united with Romania.