Svetlana Panciuc gets 4 years for Șor Party illegal financing
Svetlana Panciuc, former head of the now-defunct Șor Party branch in Edineț, has been sentenced to four years in a semi-open prison for complicity in the illegal financing of the political party by an organized criminal group.
The sentence was handed down on Monday, November 3, by the Chișinău Court, Buiucani headquarters. This ruling is a significant development in the ongoing fight against corruption in Moldova and the misuse of political funds.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office successfully demonstrated that the activists of the unconstitutional political party received and distributed funds from illicit sources. These funds were primarily used to organize and remunerate participants in the paid protests held in front of the Parliament, Government, and Presidency.
The prosecution further detailed that Panciuc managed the complex logistics. This included sending lists of participants and transport details via electronic applications, organizing the travel, and compensating protesters with 400 lei per day for each person. Moreover, she managed substantial amounts of cash, received from couriers, as part of a suspected money laundering scheme.
“Between September 18 and October 16, 2022, the defendant also managed the payment of 18 people per day who continuously protested in the 'Orășelul schimbării' (City of Change) in front of the Parliament, paying them 100 US dollars per day, totaling 52,200 US dollars, which is the equivalent of 1,015,236 lei. Consequently, the defendant, acting in the interests of the political formation, knowingly accepted, through complicity, the financing of the political party by the organized criminal group, in the total amount of 4,866,767 lei, which were illicit financial sources integrated into the party's activity and maintenance, with the purpose of promoting and realizing the party's interests on the political arena of the Republic of Moldova, to obtain state power through illicit means," the Chișinău Court stated in a press release.
The court's decision also includes penalties beyond the prison term. The court ordered the confiscation of nearly 4.9 million lei in favor of the state. Furthermore, the convicted person is permanently deprived of the right to conduct accounting and financial activities within political parties, as well as membership in any political party, for a period of five years.
The defendant, who remains in pre-trial detention, maintains her innocence and did not plead guilty to the charges.
The sentence is not final and can be appealed to the Centru Court of Appeal.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
