Moldova jails Euroskeptic regional leader

Head of Gagauzia Evgenia Gutsul has been accused of illegally financing a banned political party

A court in EU-candidate Moldova has sentenced the leader of the autonomous region of Gagauzia to seven years in prison on charges of illegally financing a Euroskeptic political party.

Evgenia Gutsul, who denied the accusations and claimed the case was politically motivated, was convicted of receiving illegal campaign funds from an organized criminal group and funneling them to the Euroskeptic SOR party, which was banned in 2023.

Gutsul was also accused of paying people to participate in anti-government protests organized by the SOR in 2022. In addition to the prison sentence, Gutsul has also been ordered to pay 40 million Moldovan lei ($2.3 million) to the state.

Svetlana Popan, former secretary in the SOR Central Office, was sentenced to six years in prison in the same case. The sentences can be appealed.

Commenting on the verdict, Sergiu Moraru, Gutsul’s lawyer, said “this is not a trial, but a public execution… I can’t say that there is evidence there, there is fiction.”

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The court hearing attracted a crowd of protesters outside the building, with some shouting “Shame on [Moldovan President] Maia Sandu.” A counter-rally was also held nearby, prompting police to establish a security cordon.

Gutsul has served as the head of Gagauzia, an autonomous and predominantly Russian-speaking region in southern Moldova, since winning the 2023 election as the SOR candidate. Gutsul campaigned on promises of closer ties with Russia, in contrast with the pro-Western stance of the government of President Maia Sandu. The party was banned the same year on allegations of illicit financing from abroad.

Gutsul has on numerous occasions accused the Moldovan authorities of launching criminal proceedings against her in a bid to oust her from power, suggesting that they “don’t like the fact that I am trying to help the [autonomous region’s] residents.”

Russia has condemned what it described as a Moldovan crackdown on Gutsul, calling it an example of “European anti-values in action.”