Marina Tauber was detained at Chisinau International Airport
Marina Tauber was detained at Chisinau International Airport on Monday morning while trying to fly to Tel Aviv via Istanbul. According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the detention was based on the order of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, issued on the same day, on the grounds that the defendant had violated the conditions of preventive measures.
The Ciocana court of Chisinau is to examine the prosecutors' request to replace the measure with preventive arrest. "Considering that the defendant has already violated several times the conditions imposed by the judges, the prosecutors considered it necessary to detain the defendant at the airport because there was a considerable risk that the defendant would evade the prosecution," the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office statement said.
The institution states that on 28 April this year, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office filed a request with the investigating judge to replace the preventive measure of provisional release under judicial control with pre-trial detention on the grounds that Tauber had violated the conditions of the preventive measure. Also on Friday 28 April, the defendant's lawyer received a copy of the application. On 29 April, Tauber requested a postponement of the court hearing so that she could travel to Israel.
On January 5, the Chisinau Court of Appeal maintained the preventive measure - provisional release under judicial control - and ordered Marina Tauber not to leave her place of residence, not to communicate with persons connected with the criminal proceedings and to surrender her passport to the judge appointed as investigating judge.
In a video interview at the airport, Marina Tauber, anticipating her detention, said the authorities were resorting to this measure because she continued to criticise them.
"They (Maia Sandu and the current government - editor's note) are so afraid, including of the results in Gagauzia, of Ilan Șor, of me and our team, that they want to arrest me. The prosecutors have applied to change the preventive measure against me. I understand very well why all this is happening, because I am active, because I do not agree with them, because I fight for our citizens, because I continue to criticize them. No arrest and no detention will stop me. I will fight for our citizens," Tauber said.
She did not deny that she intended to leave the country, but not because she wanted to flee, but because the trip had long been planned for medical purposes. "I'm only going away for a few days and I'll be back on Thursday morning, I also have a return ticket. I will thank the prosecutors and Maia Sandu for giving me this birthday present", said Marina Tauber, who turns 37 today.
The authorities have not yet commented on Marina Tauber's statements.
Marina Tauber is charged on two counts - knowingly accepting party funding from an organised criminal group and falsifying the Sor Party's financial management report. Last August, Marina Tauber was detained for two weeks in the 13th prison.
