Alexandru Bălan gets 1.5-year sentence; ex-SIS deputy admits guilt
Alexandru Bălan, the former deputy head of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), was sentenced to one year and six months in prison for disclosing state secrets. The verdict was delivered by Chișinău Court in Buiucani. Bălan, who is currently under house arrest in Romania, participated in the hearing via videoconference on Wednesday, April 15.
The court decided to deprive Alexandru Bălan of the right to hold public office for a period of two years and six months.
The Chișinău Court in Buiucani ordered that his sentence be executed in a semi-closed penitentiary.
The trial of Alexandru Bălan, the former deputy head of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), who was indicted for disclosing state secrets, was conducted behind closed doors.
According to the prosecutor, Dumitru Ștefîrță, Bălan admitted his guilt and requested that his case be processed under a simplified procedure.
Bălan, who holds dual citizenship in Moldova and Romania, was detained on September 8, 2025, in Timișoara. He is accused of divulging classified state information about Romania to the Belarusian secret services, which are loyal to Moscow.
Initially, Bălan was held in pre-trial detention for several months before being placed under house arrest.
The operation to detain him was coordinated under EUROJUST, in collaboration with the intelligence services of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. In the final stage of the investigation, the secret services from Chișinău were also involved.
Bălan worked for SIS, where he held several positions, including head of counterintelligence. In 2016, he was promoted to deputy director. The Chișinău press has reported that Bălan was allegedly involved in suppressing the anti-communist protests in 2009, as well as in assisting the escape of Russian blogger Eduard Baghirov, who was being investigated for organizing the protests on April 7.
