The head of Gagauzia was detained in Moldova — she may have facilitated the financing of a political party by the Russian Federation

The mayor of Gagauzia, Yevgenia Hutsul, was detained at the Chisinau airport on the evening of March 25. She is involved in a case of illegal financing of the now banned pro-Russian party "Shor".

This was reported by the Moldovan media outlet TV8, citing data from the National Anti-Corruption Center.

According to MP Marina Tauber, Hutsul was about to fly to Istanbul on official business when she was detained by law enforcement officers. She had a return ticket to Moldova for March 30.

According to the case materials, the governor of Gagauzia, together with Svitlana Popan, who worked as the secretary of the Shor party in 2019-2022, systematically imported money from Russia into Moldova.

According to the publication NewsMaker, Hutsul is also accused of coordinating the work of the political force offices in such a way that "Shor" received money from an organized criminal group. In total, more than 42.5 million lei was received. The case was sent to court in April 2024. Both defendants plead not guilty.

• Gagauziaʼs leader Yevgenia Hutsul was elected to the position from the populist pro-Russian “Shor” party. She won thanks to the support of this political force, although she had not previously taken any part in public and political life.
• Hutsul has visited Russia several times. She is a member of the pro-Russian Moldovan opposition group "Victory", established in Moscow. In addition, the Bashkan of Gagauzia is under the US sanctions.
• In October 2024, Yevgenia Hutsul was also added to the European Union sanctions list for actions that destabilize Moldova.

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