The Chisinau Court, Buiucani branch, sentenced the former head of the Edinet Territorial Office of the former Shor Political Party, Svetlana Panciuc, to four years in prison in a semi-closed penitentiary for complicity in knowingly accepting political party financing from an organized criminal group. The court issued the sentence on Monday, November 3.
The court also banned her for five years from carrying out accounting or financial management activities within political parties and from holding membership in any political organization. Until the decision becomes final, the court maintained her pre-trial detention, as she had failed to appear in hearings and authorities had declared her wanted.
Judges ordered the confiscation of approximately 4.9 million lei in favor of the state, identifying the money as funds used to commit the crime. The court also upheld the seizure of her assets.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), Panciuc, while serving as head of the Edinet Territorial Office of the former Shor Political Party — declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court on June 19, 2023, and removed from the State Register of Legal Entities on January 23, 2024 — knew that the party received financing from an organized criminal group led by Ilan Shor. Together with other party members, she facilitated the acceptance of this illegal financing by providing information and resources to support the party.
Prosecutors stated that Panciuc knowingly and in complicity accepted approximately 4.9 million lei in illegally obtained funds from the criminal group. The money was used for party activities, including organizing protests and paying participants, with the goal of influencing Moldovan politics and gaining power through illegal means.
Prosecutors have 15 days to decide whether to appeal the sentence.