Prosecutor's Office provides details on governor's case sentenced to seven years in prison

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has provided additional details about the criminal case in which governor of the Gagauz autonomy Evghenia Guțul was sentenced to seven years in prison for involvement in the illegal financing of the former political party Shor, declared unconstitutional in 2023. The sentence, delivered today by the judges of the Chișinău Court, is not final and can be appealed within 15 days at the Chișinău Court of Appeal.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, between 2019 and 2022, as a secretary within the Monitoring, Planning and Control Department of the party, Evghenia Guțul actively contributed to the introduction of large sums of money from an organized criminal group into the Republic of Moldova, particularly from the Russian Federation. The funds were transported by air and road and were subsequently used for the illegal financing of the party and for organizing political actions, including protests.

The court established that Guțul acted knowingly as an accomplice. Consequently, she was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in a semi-closed penitentiary. Additionally, she was sentenced to the confiscation of 40,905,637 lei, money that according to the prosecutors, was used for illegal activities.

At the same time, the judges also decided to prohibit Evghenia Guțul from holding positions related to financial-accounting management or being part of political parties for five years. The seizure placed on her assets was upheld.

A second defendant in the case, a former secretary within the Central Office of the party was sentenced to six years in prison and must reimburse the state with almost 9.7 million lei.

In total, the damage estimated in this case exceeds 56.4 million lei, and among the confiscated exhibits are 5.8 million lei found during searches, as well as two mobile phones.

Although the defendants denied the charges throughout the trial, the court considered that the evidence presented by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, in collaboration with the CNA and SIS, was sufficient to establish their guilt.

Several politicians, including Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, intervened in her defense, stating: 'It is an example of a politically motivated decision, of illegal pressure on political opponents during the electoral campaign.'

Evghenia Guțul was detained in March 2025 at Chișinău International Airport and subsequently placed under house arrest. She is involved in two criminal cases concerning illegal financing and the use of undeclared funds for electoral and party purposes.