Lawyers representing Gagauzia Governor Evghenia Gutul have appealed to Moldova’s Supreme Court of Justice against the decision of the Centru Court of Appeal, which upheld her seven-year prison sentence. The appeal also challenges the conviction of Svetlana Popan, who was sentenced to six years in prison, according to IPN.
According to information published on the Supreme Court’s website, the appeal was registered on July 27. The case has been assigned to a panel of judges, who will examine the appeal and rule on the request submitted by the defense.
Evghenia Gutul and Svetlana Popan were convicted on August 5, 2025, of complicity in the illegal financing of a political party and an electoral competitor. Prosecutors allege that the offenses were committed between 2019 and 2022, when Gutul served as secretary of the Ilan Shor Party, which was declared unconstitutional in 2023.
Gutul has denied the charges, insisting that she committed no wrongdoing and arguing that, at the time of the alleged offenses, she held a position without decision-making authority within the party. She described the verdict as “harsh” and claimed the case was politically motivated.
At the end of May, the Centru Court of Appeal upheld the ruling issued by the Chisinau Court, Buiucani branch.