The judges of the Court of Appeal upheld the seven-year prison sentence imposed on Evghenia Gutul after her lawyers filed an appeal.
The court also upheld the sentence against former Shor Party secretary Svetlana Popan, who received a six-year prison term.
Gutul and Popan maintain their innocence. Throughout the trial, their defense lawyers argued that the authorities fabricated the case as part of a politically motivated order from the ruling party.
The court of first instance sentenced Evghenia Gutul and Svetlana Popan in August 2025. In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the governor of Gagauzia to pay approximately 40.9 million lei in damages and ordered the former Sor Party secretary to pay about 9.7 million lei.