President Maia Sandu has expressed dissatisfaction with the growing number of convicted individuals who flee to the Transnistrian region and has urged the Government and Parliament to propose concrete solutions. She made the statement at a press conference on December 30, 2025, calling for simpler procedures to place convicted persons on wanted lists so they cannot evade prison sentences by escaping territory controlled by the constitutional authorities.
“The Transnistrian region is increasingly used to avoid the execution of sentences. In this context, I ask the Government and Parliament to improve the existing framework and adopt the necessary legislative measures to prevent convicted persons from evading their sentences, including by simplifying the procedure for placing a person on the wanted list immediately after a verdict is delivered and an arrest warrant is issued,” Maia Sandu said.
The president stressed that travel bans alone do not work in Moldova’s specific conditions, given the existence of a region outside the control of constitutional authorities.
“They hide in a space protected by the Russian army, which is illegally present on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. That is why I want the Government, together with Parliament and in consultation with other institutions, to consider these specific risks and come up with concrete solutions,” Sandu added.
She referred to the recent case of Dmitri Constantinov, president of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, whom the Comrat Court sentenced to 12 years in prison for embezzlement and abuse of office. After the ruling, Constantinov disappeared, and police believe he may be in Transnistria. The court also ordered him to repay more than 40 million lei in court costs and material and moral damages and banned him from holding certain positions for five years.
Former MPs linked to fugitive businessman Ilan Shor, Alexandr Nesterovschi and Irina Lozovan, also left territory controlled by Moldova’s constitutional authorities before courts sentenced them to prison for corruption and illegal party financing. Authorities believe both are hiding in the Transnistrian region.