New charges brought against former Moldovan president Igor Dodon in “Kuliok” case; prosecutors seek harsher sentence

New charges have been brought against former President Igor Dodon in the “Kuliok” case. He is being investigated in connection with new episodes of passive bribery. Prosecutors have asked the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) to amend, in order to aggravate, the charges against former President Igor Dodon in the “Kuliok” case. Dodon, currently an MP representing the Moldovan Party of Socialists (PSRM), appeared at the court hearing today, where prosecutors presented an order amending the charges.

At the hearing, the case prosecutor, Petru Iarmaliuc, has said that the prosecution issued an order amending the charges.

“This concerns two episodes involving the commission of passive bribery by a person holding a position of public dignity, on an exceptionally large scale and in the interests of a criminal organization, based on the evidence examined during the trial, witnesses’’ statements and additional evidence examined,” Petru Iarmaliuc said.

According to him, the new wording is based on the evidence examined, including witnesses’ statements and additional evidence.

The case prosecutor says that the new charges concern two episodes of passive bribery, on an exceptionally large scale, committed between March and June 2019 in the interests of a criminal organization.

According to Iarmaliuc, in one of the episodes, on June 4, 2019, Igor Dodon allegedly agreed to accept and received, through intermediaries, illicit financial resources, while on June 7, he allegedly solicited additional sums of money for the benefit of the same structure, the prosecution claims.

Prosecutors have also maintained the charge concerning the organization of the knowing acceptance of financing for a political party from a criminal organization.

Igor Dodon’s defense lawyers asked the court to grant them one month to study the document amending the charges.

At the same hearing, prosecutor Vitalie Codreanu informed the court that prosecution witness Adrian Radu, a former adviser to Vladimir Plahotniuc, had failed to appear. The court was presented with the report and the order concerning the compulsory bringing of the witness.

In a post published after the hearing, Igor Dodon described the case as political.

“Throughout this entire period, the prosecution has not presented convincing evidence: the video material presented as key evidence is not original, has been selectively fragmented by its authors and, as was subsequently established, has been grossly manipulated, with the audio track superimposed on the video images. Now, when the case has reached its final stage and I was due to give statements, the prosecutor’s office is suddenly changing the wording of the charges—an unsuccessful attempt to patch up an accusation without evidence and based on political fantasies—and is once again requesting more time. The next hearing will take place only on November 3,” Dodon wrote.

The “Kuliok” case was resumed at the end of November 2025, after the panel of judges had been changed, and the trial effectively started from scratch. During the previous proceedings, the court heard 15 prosecution witnesses and examined numerous documents and official records.

The criminal investigation in the case generically known as the “Kuliok” case was resumed on May 18, 2022, after the Chisinau Court of Appeal overturned the ruling of the Chisinau Court concerning the failure to initiate a criminal investigation against former President Igor Dodon.

The case is based on a video recording from June 2019, in which Igor Dodon appears alongside Vladimir Plahotniuc and Serghei Iaralov. Igor Dodon has earlier  declared himself innocent and reiterated that the footage had been doctored.