CHISINAU, April 1. /TASS/. The 20-day arrest period for the head of Moldova’s autonomous region of Gagauzia, Evghenia Gutsul, expires on April 14, Denis Ulanov, a lawyer and a deputy of the Moldovan Parliament, told TASS on Tuesday.
"According to the law, the term of arrest of 20 days starts from the moment of her detention, which was on the night of March 25. Therefore, on the night of April 14, Gutsul should be released," he said.
However, Ulanov added that it was still possible that several days prior to the expiration of her arrest term prosecutors may demand her re-arrest.
Gutsul was detained on March 25 at the Chisinau airport. There are two cases open against her. One is related to irregularities in the financing of the 2023 election campaign. In the other, she was indicted for irregularities in the financing of the opposition party Sor, which was declared illegal by Moldova’s authorities and subsequently dissolved.
After winning the election to lead the autonomous region in 2023, the politician declared her intention to strengthen the region's friendly relations with Russia and criticized Chisinau's policy of confrontation with Moscow. The Moldovan government tried to void the election and sent prosecutors to investigate the region’s Central Election Commission.
However, the Gagauz parliament expressed solidarity with Gutsul, and several rallies were held in the region in support of the newly-elected leader. Moldovan President Maia Sandu refused to appoint Gutsul as a member of the Moldovan government, defying Moldovan law.