CHISINAU, May 20. /TASS/. Evghenia Gutsul, the leader of Moldova’s autonomous region of Gagauzia, said after a court hearing that she would continue her political struggle.
"As before, there is no proof or evidence; only a political order. The goal is not justice, but rather the removal of an inconvenient regional leader who was elected by the people of Gagauzia. But I am not broken. <...> I am fighting not for myself, but for the rights of every Gagauzia resident," Gutsul’s statement posted on her Telegram channel said.
Today, the Chisinau District Court held another hearing on the case of Gutsul’s alleged illegal financing of the Sor Party. According to Gutsul’s lawyer, Sergey Moraru, the hearings are taking place "at an unusual pace." He pointed out that the sentence may be announced as early as June.
Gutsul was detained on March 25 at the Chisinau airport. She is facing two investigations. In one, she was charged with violations related to the financing of the 2023 election campaign. In the other, she was indicted for breaches in the financing of the opposition party Sor, which was declared illegal by Moldova’s authorities and subsequently dissolved. She denied all charges, saying that her arrest was orchestrated by the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity.
Relations between Chisinau and Comrat sharply deteriorated following Gutsul’s 2023 election as head of Gagauzia. Gutsul, an opposition candidate, expressed her intent to strengthen the region’s friendly ties with Russia and criticized the pro-Western Moldovan government’s hostile stance toward Moscow. Moldova’s authorities attempted to declare her election invalid, but the Gagauz parliament stood by Gutsul. Several mass protests supporting her were held in the region. President Maia Sandu refused to sign the decree officially appointing Gutsul to the Moldovan government, defying legal procedures.