Gagauz Autonomy Head Gutsul Detained In Moldova
14- 26.03.2025, 8:16
- 16,112
On charges of receiving money from Russia.
The head (bashkan) of the Gagauz autonomy of Moldova, Eugenia Gutsul, was detained at the airport in Chisinau. She is a defendant in a criminal case on charges of receiving money from Russia to finance the pro-Russian party ‘Shor’, which is now banned in the country.
This is reported by the Moldovan edition of News Maker.
At first, information about detaining Gutsul at the airport when leaving Moldova appeared on the Gagauznews portal with the corresponding video. Such footage was made public in the evening of 25 March.
It is noted that representatives of law enforcement agencies took away Gutsul's passport.
Later, the information about the detention of the Gagauz head was confirmed to the media by the press secretary of the National Anti-Corruption Centre of Moldova, Angela Starinschi. According to her, the details of the situation will be announced on Wednesday.
The Case Against Gutsul
Last April, the case against the head of Gagauzia, Eugenia Gutsul, was submitted to court in Moldova. She is accused of transporting from Russia money, which was then used to finance political activities.
Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Moldova completed the investigation and referred to court the case against Gutsul and the head of the main office of the Shor party in Chisinau.
According to the investigation, Gutsul, working as a secretary in the unconstitutional ‘Shor’ party, systematically and daily imported money from Russia into Moldova from 2019 to 2022. They were used to finance the party's political activities.
She is also accused of coordinating the activities of some of the party's offices. According to law enforcers, Gutsul, as an accomplice to the crime, from October to November 2022, was responsible for checking lists and rewarding participants in the protests that took place outside state institutions in Chisinau.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office accuses Gutsul of knowingly receiving money from an organised criminal group to finance the party's activities - almost 42.5 million lei ($2.3 million). She faces up to seven years in prison.
Gutsul's Ties to Russia
Eugenia Gutsul was elected head of Gagauzia (an autonomous territorial unit within Moldova) in 2023. She was nominated by the pro-Russian Shor party.
In early April 2024, Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Gutsul of supporting Russia's war against Ukraine. This statement followed the Gagauzia head's visit to Moscow, where she met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
It was also reported last spring that pro-Russian forces from Moldova travelled to Moscow. There they formed a new anti-European political bloc, which is supported by Gutsul.
We would like to add that in June 2024, the United States imposed sanctions against the head of Gagauzia Gutsul. According to the State Department, she plays a direct and active role in the corrupt activities of the Shor network and could have facilitated the import of cash from Russia, its illegal concealment and the use of these funds in favour of the oligarch's political projects.
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