Guțul's conviction sparks political row in Gagauzia
The People’s Assembly and the Executive Committee of Gagauzia have deemed the conviction of Bashkan Evghenia Guțul "illegal" and "politically motivated" in the case of the former Șor Party's illegal financing.
In a Resolution published two days after the sentence was announced, authorities in the autonomous region demand the immediate release of the Bashkan, citing a "violation" of the region's special status and the will of its voters.
WatchDog expert Ștefan Bejan has called this move "a defiance of the Constitution and legislation of the Republic of Moldova," stating that the People's Assembly is attempting to pressure the judiciary.
Through the Resolution, local Gagauz officials reaffirm the "legitimacy" of Evghenia Guțul's mandate and express their commitment to "defending the autonomy by all legal means, both national and international."
They announced they would send the document to the Presidency, Parliament, and Government, as well as to the UN, OSCE, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and the governments of Russia, Turkey, China, India, and the USA.
In the Resolution, Gagauz authorities characterize the sentence issued on August 5, 2025, by the Chișinău Court, as a "political act" intended to remove a "legally elected" leader.
"We categorically reject and do not recognize the sentence of August 5, 2025, against the Head of Gagauzia, E.A. Guțul. We consider it to have been pronounced outside the legal and judicial framework. This sentence is politically motivated and anti-Gagauz, intended to eliminate the legally elected head of autonomy," the Resolution states.
The signatories also accuse central authorities of "using repression as a tool to fight against the opposition ahead of the parliamentary elections on September 28."
The document also refers to measures such as maintaining the functioning of the region's institutions under the leadership of the Bashkan's deputy, Ilia Uzun, providing humanitarian and legal support for Guțul, launching an international campaign in her support, organizing peaceful protests in Gagauzia, and requesting international observer missions in the autonomy.
"Resolution without real impact"
WatchDog.md expert Ștefan Bejan believes the actions of the Gagauz authorities represent an attempt at "political pressure on the judicial system" and "a violation of constitutional principles."
"What the People's Assembly is trying to do is put pressure on Chișinău—to actually put pressure on the justice system of the Republic of Moldova—and I classify this as a defiance of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and a defiance of the legislation of the Republic of Moldova," Bejan commented for Teleradio-Moldova.
The expert believes that in Guțul's case, it is not an abusive intervention in the Gagauz Autonomy, but rather the application of the law in the face of concrete facts.
"This conviction of Evghenia Guțul is not an interference in internal affairs; it is an act of justice. It is a conviction based on what I understand to be very solid evidence. The Bashkan of UTA Gagauzia is not infallible; she must answer to the law if she violates it," the expert claims.
Bejan also asserts that the move by the authorities in Comrat is a symbolic one, without real impact: "It is simply a flash in the pan and a defiance of the constitutional order in the Republic of Moldova."
Regarding the protests announced in the Resolution, the expert is skeptical that they will attract real popular support.
"Over the past two years, Gagauz leaders, or rather, Șor's people from Comrat, have organized numerous protests. We have seen what kind of protests they have organized. Apart from a few hundred protesters who were organized and paid for it, they have not managed to achieve popular mobilization. The Gagauz people are not willing to go to protests, and I don't know if they will succeed in organizing mass protests," Ștefan Bejan anticipated.
We note that we have requested reactions from the Presidency, the Government, and PAS regarding the accusations included in the Resolution approved in Comrat, but we have not yet received a response at this time.
It is worth recalling that the Bashkan of the Gagauz region, Evghenia Guțul, was sentenced by the first court to 7 years in a semi-open prison. The decision was pronounced on Tuesday, August 5, by the magistrates of the Chișinău Court, Buiucani headquarters, in a case concerning the illegal financing of the former Șor Party, which was declared unconstitutional in June 2023. A 6-year prison sentence was also given to the second defendant in the case, Svetlana Popan.
In an interview with Moldova 1, the interim chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (PA), Marcel Dumbravan, stated that the evidence gathered is solid, and the sentences are not political.
"The evidence gathered during the criminal investigation and presented in court fully proves the guilt of both defendants. The court, in the opinion of the prosecutors, pronounced an absolutely legal sentence. The confiscation of over 50 million lei is justified, as this money was used to organize protests and to transport and feed the participants," Dumbravan said on Moldova 1.
Translation by IurieTataru
