Țutu detained 30 days for illegal border crossing, bribery attempt
Former MP and athlete Constantin Țuțu was placed in 30-day detention on Saturday, October 4. The preventive measure was ordered by the Chișinău Court in Ciocana, based on charges brought by PCCOCS prosecutors for illegally crossing the border with Ukraine and attempting to bribe a border official.
The investigative judge’s ruling was issued on Saturday, after the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) charged the former MP with two offenses allegedly committed in September–October 2025: illegally crossing the border with Ukraine and offering a sum of over 14,000 lei (in euros) to a border official to facilitate passage through the Vulcănești–Vinogradovca checkpoint, PCCOCS stated in a release.
The source notes that Țuțu “was detained by law enforcement at the border crossing, and the amount allegedly promised to the border official was found in his pocket—a fact classified under the Criminal Code as active bribery.”
"Now, following the application of detention to ensure the objectivity of the criminal investigation, PCCOCS prosecutors will continue investigating him, while guaranteeing procedural rights and the presumption of innocence, according to the law," the statement adds.
While being escorted to court, Țuțu was asked by a Moldova 1 TV reporter how he managed to cross the border and who assisted him. The former MP responded on the move: “I entered the country legally (...), just like any other person.”
Constantin Țuțu, the kickboxer made an MP by Plahotniuc, is also under criminal investigation for influence peddling and illicit enrichment. The cases, ongoing since May 2020 and November 2021, were later consolidated into a single trial currently being examined at the Chișinău Court. The last hearing was scheduled for July 16, 2025.
On July 22, 2025, Constantin Țuțu and oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, who fled Moldova in June 2019 after losing power, were detained at Athens Airport while attempting to fly to Dubai.
