Evghenia Guțul faces prison for illegal financing of banned Șor Party
The Bashkan of Comrat, Evghenia Guțul, faces up to seven years in prison for her involvement in the illegal financing case of the former Șor Party, which has been banned.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has announced the completion of the evidence presentation in the criminal case against Guțul and a secretary of the former political party, who are accused of knowingly accepting financial support for a political candidate and the party from an organized criminal group.
Over the course of 54 court sessions, more than 20 witnesses testified, 66 volumes of material evidence were reviewed, and over 40 data carriers containing results from special investigative measures were analyzed.
Next, the defense will present its evidence. The two defendants maintain their innocence.
The criminal case, comprising 68 volumes, was submitted to court on April 23, 2024.
Prosecutors determined that Evghenia Guțul, who served as a secretary for the former Șor Party between 2019 and 2022, was actively involved in systematically bringing illegal financial resources into the country, primarily from the Russian Federation, on behalf of an organized criminal group, using air and land transport. According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, these funds were later used to promote the party’s activities.
In October and November 2022 alone, Guțul allegedly knowingly accepted 42.5 million lei from the criminal group. She was responsible for verifying lists and distributing payments to participants in protests organized by the former party at the Parliament, Government, Presidency, and General Prosecutor’s Office.
For this offense, the law prescribes a prison sentence of up to seven years, along with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in specific activities for a period of two to five years.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
