Bashkan Evghenia Guțul cannot justify assets worth over 1.2 million lei, including a diamond necklace
Evghenia Guțul, the Bashkan of Gagauzia, is currently in detention after being sentenced to seven years in prison by a first-instance court for illegally financing the former "Șor" Party. The National Integrity Authority (ANI) discovered a discrepancy of over 1,249,000 lei between the assets owned by the Guțul family and their reported income from 2024 to 2025, which Guțul was unable to justify.
The audit focused on Evghenia Guțul and her family members. According to ANI, Guțul was unable to justify the expense of a "diamond necklace" listed in her wealth declaration for 2024.
The National Integrity Authority (ANI) will present a case to the court, seeking to confiscate the unjustified wealth of the Guțul family.
If the ANI's decision is upheld, Evghenia Guțul may face a three-year ban from holding public office. Her name will be added to the State Register of Persons Prohibited from Exercising Public Offices, in accordance with the Law on the Declaration of Personal Assets and Interests.
Bashkan Evghenia Guțul was sentenced by the Chișinău Court, Buiucani, to seven years in prison, to be served in a semi-closed penitentiary, on August 5, 2025. This decision was part of a case concerning the illegal financing of the former "Șor" Party.
Prosecutors revealed that Guțul and the secretary of the former "Șor" Party, Svetlana Popan—who also received a prison sentence—coordinated secret money transfers from Russia. They instructed their colleagues to mask these funds through fictitious donations and organized large protests in Chișinău, where thousands of participants were paid with illegal money.
Investigators found that between 2019 and 2022, Evghenia Guțul played a direct role in systematically introducing funds through fast air and land flights, often completing round trips within 24 hours.
The funds were then integrated into the party's activities, including protests organised by the "Șor" Party in front of public institutions in Chișinău.
To conceal the origin of the money, Guțul allegedly instructed the presidents of territorial offices to prepare fictitious donations to give the amounts received from illegal sources a legal appearance.
The court also ordered the confiscation of over 50 million lei: specifically, 40,905,637 lei from Evghenia Guțul's account and 9,748,425 lei from Svetlana Popan's account. Both individuals were banned from participating in political parties and from engaging in financial accounting activities for a period of 5 years.
We remind you that these sentences are not final.
