CHISINAU, July 17. /TASS/. The chamber of appeal in Moldova’s capital Chisinau ruled that the leader of the autonomous region of Gagauzia, Evghenia Gutsul, should remain under house arrest, a TASS correspondent reported.

The court dismissed her appeal against house arrest as "unfounded."

Gutsul said after the session that the ruling was "dictated to the judges by the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity."

"I will fight. With time, we will manage to prove that these events were illegal. And every individual involved in my unlawful arrest will be held responsible," she added.

Gutsul was detained at Chisinau’s airport on March 25 and later was arrested as part of a criminal case related to the financing of her election campaign in 2023. Along with this, court hearings have been proceeding since 2024 on another case where Gutsul is charged with illegally financing an opposition party. However, she categorically rejects these charges, saying that the case is politically motivated.

Gutsul’s relations with the Moldovan leadership became strained in 2023 after she won elections in the autonomy and proclaimed a course toward closer relations with Russia, criticizing Chisinau’s policy of confrontation with Moscow. Moldovan authorities tried to declare the election in Gagauzia invalid, but the Gagauz parliament sided with Gutsul. Apart from that, a series of public rallies were held in her support. However, Moldovan President Maia Sandu refused to sign a document approving Gutsul as a government member, which is required to be done under the country’s laws.