Presidency issues clarifications on pardon of convict and subsequent revocation of pardon decree

The Presidency today issued clarifications regarding the pardon of convict Șepeli Nicolai Andrei and the subsequent revocation of the pardon decree.

In March 2021 the General Prosecutor’s Office submitted to the Presidency a request to examine, within its competence, the applications for granting pardons to six persons convicted in the Russian Federation, including Șepeli Nicolai, convicted for attempted illegal circulation of narcotic substances for the purpose of distribution, committed on an especially large scale.

In support of the General Prosecutor’s Office’s pardon request, it was stated that Șepeli Nicolai, along with the other persons, is a victim of human trafficking who, under the pretext of being officially employed as a courier, was deceitfully recruited and transported to the Russian Federation. In this regard, the General Prosecutor’s Office conducted a criminal investigation during which acts of human trafficking for the purpose of exploiting citizens of the Republic of Moldova were investigated and examined. Thus, several Moldovan citizens, under the pretext of being officially employed as couriers, were deceitfully recruited and transported to various cities of the Russian Federation. Based on the evidence collected, the victims did not know at the time of their travel to the Russian Federation that they were to be involved in the distribution of narcotic substances, having been misled into believing they would be transporting nutritional supplements for athletes.

The General Prosecutor’s Office’s note also stated that the circumstances established by the competent authorities of the Republic of Moldova were not known to the courts of the Russian Federation at the time the convictions were pronounced. For these reasons, the final judgments convicting the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, issued by the courts of the Russian Federation, were liable to be reviewed. In this context, it should be noted that, according to Article 13 of the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, only the sentencing state has the right to decide on any form of appeal concerning the review of the judgment.

The General Prosecutor’s Office further indicated in its submission that, considering that the victims of human trafficking were serving their prison sentences in the Republic of Moldova and that the procedures for initiating and examining a review by the competent authorities of the Russian Federation would take a long time—leading to the full execution of the prison sentences—it considered it appropriate to grant individual pardons to each of the persons mentioned above.

In October 2021, second letter was received from the General Prosecutor’s Office informing the President’s Office that, at the request of the General Prosecutor’s Office, on 15 June 2021 the competent authorities of the Russian Federation had refused to initiate proceedings for the review of the convictions. In these circumstances, the Prosecutor’s Office reiterated its request to examine the opportunity of granting pardons in accordance with the applications submitted.

The note of the General Prosecutor’s Office was examined during meetings of the Commission for Issues of Pardon of Convicted Persons under the President of the Republic of Moldova on 27 December 2021 and 3 March 2022. At the 27 December meeting, the acting Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the PCCOCS, the Head of the International Legal Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Justice, and a representative of the “La Strada” Center were heard.

The Commission, established in September 2021 as a collegial body with members specialized in legal, medical, psychological, and social fields, in accordance with the powers and procedures provided by the legislation in force, examined the pardon request and the materials available at that time and decided, on 9 March 2022, to submit a recommendation in favor of pardoning Șepeli Nicolai.

Four of the six persons indicated in the initial submission of the General Prosecutor’s Office were heard before the Commission; one had been conditionally released before serving the full sentence, and in another case no personal application for pardon was identified. Following the hearings, only the convict Șepeli Nicolai was proposed for pardon, being the only one without a criminal record.

According to the Commission, after a full examination of the case file, an interview with the convicted person, and an analysis of the official documents presented by the competent institutions, it was found that, at the time of examining the application, relevant circumstances were met, such as: the sentence imposed by the court had been largely served; the absence of a criminal record; compliance with prison regulations during detention, with appropriate behavior, no involvement in violent incidents or conflicts with staff or other inmates, and no disciplinary sanctions at the time of examination; the person maintained ties with his family and had a stable place of residence; institutional psychological assessments also described the person as having appropriate behavior in the context of detention.

The PCCOCS representative heard at the Commission meeting supported the clemency request and presented information indicating that the person had victim status in a human trafficking case that was, at that time, under examination. At the same time, the “La Strada” representative confirmed this status based on the available documents and assessments. Considering all these circumstances, the Commission voted in favor of approving the pardon request by a majority (with one vote against and one abstention).

On the basis of this recommendation and in accordance with the legal powers, Decree No. 418-IX on granting a pardon was signed on 11 April 2022, with a probationary period, for the unserved part of the sentence imposed. Granting a pardon with a probationary period meant that the pardoned person was to remain under the supervision of the probation authority for the remaining unserved period, being obliged to comply with all legal conditions.

On 19 February 2026, following new information communicated by the competent authorities, including the fact that the pardoned person was allegedly part of an organized criminal group suspected of preparing the assassination of individuals in Ukraine, a decree was issued revoking the previous pardon decree. Implementation of the decree is entrusted to the competent authorities, which will act in accordance with the legal framework and within the limits provided by law.

In addition, verifications are being carried out regarding the procedure for examining the pardon case in question, the overall process of collecting information, and the manner of monitoring and enforcing the probationary period, including with a view to improving verification and prevention mechanisms to avoid such situations in the future.

According to data from the Presidency, during the years 2021–2024, the Commission for Issues of Pardon of Convicted Persons under the President of the Republic of Moldova examined 640 applications for pardon, of which 22 persons (11 men and 11 women) were proposed for and granted pardon. In 2025, none of the persons whose applications were examined was proposed for pardon.

Pardon is an act of clemency that offers certain convicted persons the opportunity for social reintegration, under strict compliance with the law, without diminishing the importance of upholding the rule of law or individual responsibility.