Member of Parliament Irina Lozovan, sentenced to 6 years in prison
MP Irina Lozovan, accused of receiving $30,000 from fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor to bribe the mayor of Ocnita, was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Her husband, who was involved in the same case, received a 5-year prison sentence. The sentence was pronounced in the absence of the defendants by the magistrates of the Buiucani Court on March 31. Given the risk of their absconding, the court ordered that both of them be prosecuted and detained to be taken to prison to serve their sentence.
Under the court's decision, neither Irina Lozovan nor her husband, who holds the position of district councilor, shall hold public office for five years. The court also ordered that the $30,000 in cash, recognized as the corpus delicti, be transferred to the state.
The sentence is not final and can be appealed to the Central Court of Appeal within 15 days.
We remind you that the court imposed on Irina Lozovan and her husband, on March 3, the obligation not to leave the country for 60 days, with the application of a restrictive border warning. However, just a few days after his colleague, Alexandr Nesterovschi, sentenced to 12 years in prison, disappeared, the media reported, citing sources, that Lozovan was also missing. Contacted for comment, the head of the IGP, Viorel Cernăuțeanu, stated that, to date, the authorities have not received any official request regarding her search or location.
"I believe that immediately after today's ruling, it will be forwarded to the territorial inspectorate in the area of the residence to initiate the search file. So far, we have not received anything yet. It follows today's ruling. The police cannot yet take other procedural actions because this would be classified as interference in the person's personal life and illegal actions," said the head of the National Police.
Irina Lozovan is accused, along with her husband, Pavel Gârleanu, in a corruption case related to the illegal financing of the “Renaștere” Party, affiliated with fugitive oligarch Ilan Șor.
According to investigators, Lozovan, as a deputy and member of the political party’s politburo, allegedly accepted money from the organized crime group led by Ilan Șor, who was definitively convicted of bank fraud, to support the party’s activities. Furthermore, the two allegedly tried to recruit the mayor of Ocnița, promising him one million lei for personal use and another million for the city’s infrastructure in exchange for supporting the party.
Although the mayor refused the offer, Irina Lozovan and her husband allegedly continued their efforts. In August 2023, Pavel Gârleanu allegedly offered the mayor of Ocnița 30 thousand dollars as a bribe in exchange for joining "Renaștere". Shortly after, Gârleanu was detained and searched by law enforcement officers.
