A Moldovan court has sentenced pro-Kremlin regional leader Evgenia Guțul (Yevgenia Gutsul) to seven years in prison for reportedly channelling funds from Russia to finance a banned political party. Guțul has been vocal in her criticism of Moldova’s current pro-European government and has made occasional visits to Moscow to engage with high-ranking officials. She has denied any allegations of wrongdoing. However, she has been placed on the sanctions lists of both the EU and the U.S. due to suspicions of her involvement in destabilising Moldova. In addition, Svetlana Popan, the second defendant in this case, received a six-year prison sentence.
On Tuesday, 5 August 2025, both Guțul, currently the governor of the Gagauz region and a former secretary in the Monitoring, Planning, and Control Department of the now-disbanded “Shor” Political Party, and Popan, who previously served as a secretary in the Central Office of the same party, which was declared unconstitutional in June 2023, were expected to appear before the Chisinau court’s Buiucani headquarters to receive their sentences regarding the illegal financing of the former “Shor” party.
Prosecutors alleged that Guțul systematically funnelled undeclared funds into Moldova between 2019 and 2022 to support the now-banned pro-Moscow “Shor” party, established by fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor (or Ilan Shor), an exiled pro-Russian businessman convicted of fraud in Moldova. The prosecution had sought a nine-year prison sentence for Guțul.
State prosecutor Cristina Gladcov remarked, “We believe that the evidence of guilt was thoroughly substantiated, particularly highlighting the defendants’ statements, which indirectly acknowledged their involvement in these offenses.”
In response, Guțul’s attorney, Sergiu Moraru, asserted that their position is to urge the court to consider the evidence presented, the absence of any crime, and to deliver a verdict of total acquittal for Guțul, criticising the prosecution for lacking conclusive evidence to substantiate the allegations against both defendants.
In her final statement, Evghenia Guțul remarked, “In my life, I have not broken any law.”
The criminal proceedings lasted two years and four months, while the judicial investigation took less than a year. The Kremlin has condemned the sentence as politically motivated and has accused Moldova of undermining democratic principles.
In a display of solidarity, more than 100 individuals gathered in front of the court in Chisinau to support Guțul, who leads Gagauzia, a small autonomous region with a population of approximately 140,000 comprising primarily ethnic Turks.