Evghenia Guțul's wealth declaration reveals salary increase and gift decline
Evghenia Guțul, the Governor of UTA Gagauzia, reported in her 2024 wealth declaration an increase in salary income but a decrease in the amounts received from donations and gifts compared to the previous year.
According to the submitted document, Guțul received a salary of 390,870 lei (~€20,000) from her position as Governor of UTA Gagauzia.
Under the section for other income sources for the previous year, she reported receiving 120,000 lei on her birthday and approximately 170,000 lei for other family members' anniversaries.
In 2023, Guțul received 150,000 lei for her birthday, and her family members received approximately 468,000 lei.
Regarding movable property, Evghenia Guțul retained the same car fleet: a Mercedes Vito purchased in 2022 for 10,000 lei and a VW Jetta, bought in 2021 for 50,000 lei.
Additionally, in her 2024 declaration, Guțul mentions that she resides in an apartment of 95.8 square meters, which is reportedly owned by her sister, and that she occupies it as her residence without an official contract.
Guțul also declares ownership of an apartment of 47.1 square meters, purchased in 2019, valued at 300,000 lei.
Evghenia Guțul, backed by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor, won the Gagauzia autonomy elections on May 14, 2023, and was sworn into office on July 19, 2023.
After the elections, Guțul and Șor's team, which supported her, were accused of voter bribery.
The National Anti-Corruption Center then launched a criminal case for "voter bribery and violations in managing political parties' financial resources or electoral funds."
They are charged with “knowingly accepting funding for an electoral opponent from an organized criminal group, in an extended form, as accomplices.”
The criminal investigation began in January 2022.
Guțul pleads not guilty.
Although, under the law, the Governor of Gagauzia is a full member of the government, Guțul has never been officially accepted into the Cabinet of Ministers.
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, stated that Evghenia Guțul will not be included in the government, arguing that she works for a criminal organization and makes statements against her own country.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
