Gagauzia Governor Gutsul's lawyer: 'Judges were forced to make a political decision'

Evghenia Gutsul, Governor of the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia, was detained at the airport in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, on March 25, 2025, while on her way to Istanbul, and was subsequently arrested by the court. Later, the judges of the Chisinau Court of Appeal rejected the defense's appeal. Sergey Moraru, the lawyer for Gagauzia Governor Gutsul, stated, "This shows that the judges were forced to make decisions based on political motivation rather than based on the law."

In his statement, Moraru said, "We emphasized once again that there was no basis for the application of the temporary detention measure. The court's decision was predictable because two of the judges had been temporarily assigned to the Chisinau Court of Appeal. A decision that does not please the authorities automatically sends these judges back to where they were assigned. This shows that the judges were forced to make decisions based on political motivation rather than based on the law," he said.

Gagauzia Governor Gutsul was detained at Chisinau Airport on March 25 while on her way to Istanbul. The Moldovan Anti-Corruption Center had announced that an investigation had been launched into Gutsul on allegations that she violated the procedures for managing financial resources for election funds related to the 2023 elections in Gagauzia, provided illegal financing to her rivals, and forged documents and declarations.

On March 28, the Chisinau District Court ordered the arrest of Evghenia Gutsul for a period of 20 days. The prosecution, on the other hand, had made an additional request for Gutsul to be detained for 30 days, but the court rejected this request.

MOLDOVA EXPELS 3 RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS

Meanwhile, a diplomatic crisis has occurred in Moldova. Three Russian diplomats accused of planning the escape of a pro-Russian lawmaker have been expelled. This development has caused a diplomatic crisis between Moldova and Russia. The Moldovan government noted that the Russian Embassy in Chisinau aimed to provide permission to prevent the imprisonment of lawmaker Alexandr Nesterovschi, whom it accused of providing illegal political financing. The government reported that it expelled the diplomats, who were accused of organizing Nesterovschi's escape, on April 2.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu also stated in her remarks, "Russia's interference in the judicial system of the Republic of Moldova is unacceptable. Imagine if the Republic of Moldova interfered in the justice system of the Russian Federation," she said.

Russian Ambassador to Chisinau Oleg Ozerov opposed the accusation of interference in internal affairs and stated that it was baseless and unfounded. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that there would be retaliation for the expulsion decision.

News Source: 12punto