CHISINAU, April 2. /TASS/. The Chisinau Court of Appeal left in custody the leader of the Gagauz autonomy, Evghenia Gutsul, who is accused of embezzlement in the financing of her party and election campaign.
"The judges rejected the lawyers' appeal, ruling that the prosecution's arguments are justified," prosecutor Adrian Spataru told reporters following the court hearing.
The Court of Appeal’s decision can’t be overruled. Gutsul's arrest expires on April 14.
Her defense said the court’s decision was influenced by the government and plans to file an appeal against the arrest of their client with the European Court of Human Rights.
"There are no grounds for such measures as pre-trial arrest. The court's decision was predictable, as the judges were forced to make decisions that are politically motivated rather than based on the law," said lawyer Sergiu Moraru. "Two of the three judges were on loan to the Court of Appeal and if they had made a decision that did not suit the authorities, they could have been recalled."
He also said that two of the judges had not yet taken a government-mandated integrity test, and that made them wary of making a decision that would not sit well with the country's leadership.
"We will file an appeal with the ECHR over the illegal detention of Gutsul, including her arrest. Such precedents do exist, and Moldova repeatedly lost such cases in the ECHR," defense lawyer Natalia Bayram said.
Gutsul was detained on March 25 at the Chisinau airport. She is facing two investigations. In one, she was charged with irregularities related to 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 autonomy 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.