Sentence in the case of illegal financing of a former political party: the NAC and APO announce the sentencing of the president of the Edineț Territorial Office to 4 years in prison

The Chisinau Court, Buiucani seat, pronounced the sentence of conviction regarding the president of the Edineț Territorial Office of a former political party, regarding the commission of the crime of complicity in knowingly accepting financing of the political party from an organized criminal group. The court imposed a prison sentence on her for a term of 4 years to be served in a semi-closed penitentiary for women and deprived her of the right to exercise accounting and financial organization activities within political parties, as well as deprivation of the activity of membership in political parties for a period of 5 years.

Until the sentence becomes final, the preventive measure - preventive arrest (a measure requested by the prosecutor because the defendant did not appear at the court hearings) was maintained in relation to her, being announced as wanted. Also, the confiscation of approximately 4.9 million lei from the defendant's account for the benefit of the state was ordered, as monetary means used to commit the crime, and the seizure applied to the defendant's assets was maintained.

According to the evidence administered by the National Anti-corruption Centre, the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office and the Information and Security Service, the defendant, acting as President of the Edineț Territorial Office of a former political party (declared unconstitutional by Constitutional Court Decision no. 10 of 19.06.2023 and removed from the State Register of Legal Entities on 23.01.2024), knowing that the party was financed by an organized criminal group, together with other members of the party, allegedly contributed to the acceptance of this illegal financing, providing information and resources to support the party.

Thus, the defendant would have accepted, through complicity, consciously, to receive money from the criminal group, in the amount of approximately 4.9 million lei, money obtained illegally and used for the party's activities (organizing protests and remunerating participants), with the aim of influencing politics in the Republic of Moldova and obtaining power through illegal means.

Prosecutors are to decide within 15 days whether to appeal the sentence.

Note: The person accused of committing a crime shall be presumed innocent as long as his or her guilt is not established by a final court decision.