Former president Igor Dodon criticizes speed of ‘Kuliok’ case
The "Kuliok" case, in which former President Igor Dodon is being tried for corruption, has reportedly been expedited in recent months, according to the leader of the Socialist Party of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM). He claims that 22 court hearings were scheduled between May and June to reach a verdict as quickly as possible.
The socialist leader emphasizes the political nature of the files against him, claiming that the government's goal is to "eliminate" him from politics and weaken the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova.
He reminded everyone, prior to the Parliament session on May 21, that the "epic of criminal files" began four years ago, on May 24, 2022, when he "woke up" to find masked individuals at his home.
"Approximately 100 court hearings followed, along with 180 days of detention for the former president, spent both in prison and at home. In 2022, the objective was to dismantle the PSRM by targeting its leadership, specifically by removing Dodon from politics," Dodon stated.
According to the former head of state, there have been recent attempts to expedite the examination of his case in order to reach a verdict as quickly as possible.
"For May and June, 22 court hearings have been scheduled. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Out of 100 hearings in the past four years, nearly 50 are taking place this year. They are pressuring to reach a verdict in the coming months," Dodon claimed.
The socialist also mentioned that, alongside the criminal cases, there were attempts in 2022 to weaken the PSRM by bribing some deputies from the former "Sor" Party and by undermining the territorial organizations of the PSRM, which he stated is still occurring as the final verdict approaches.
The "Kuliok" case originated from a video recording made in June 2019 using hidden cameras. In this recording, former Democratic leader Vladimir Plahotniuc is seen handing Igor Dodon, who was then the president of Moldova, a black bag containing between $600,000 and $1 million, according to prosecutors' later statements.
The money was allegedly intended to finance the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova in exchange for forming a government coalition with the Democratic Party. In the video, Igor Dodon advises Plahotniuc not to "walk with the kulioc" and to pass the bag to "Cornel," who is believed to be Corneliu Furculiță, a Socialist deputy at the time and a close associate of Dodon.
The recording was made public in 2020 by MP Iurie Reniță, a member of the Dignity and Truth Platform. At a conference on May 20, Reniță announced that he had obtained the video from the mailbox of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and had notified the Prosecutor General’s Office to verify its authenticity.
Although the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation soon after, it was closed, as prosecutors claimed they found "no elements of any crime" in the 2019 video and could not determine the contents of the bag or the identity of the person who recorded it.
On May 18, 2022, the Prosecutor General's Office ordered that criminal proceedings be initiated against the former president after the Chisinau Court of Appeal overturned a previous decision not to initiate them. Igor Dodon was detained on May 24, 2022, after anti-corruption prosecutors conducted searches lasting over ten hours at several properties owned by him and his relatives.
The trial resumed almost from the beginning in late November 2025, following changes in the panel of judges; magistrate Ion Malanciuc was appointed to the Constitutional Court, and Vladislav Gribincea, a magistrate from the Supreme Court of Justice, joined the panel.
The latest development occurred in early May this year, when rapporteur judge Ghenadie Eremciuc stopped working at the Supreme Court, and magistrate Alexandru Negru took his place.
Igor Dodon is facing charges of passive corruption and accepting illegal party funding—crimes that could lead to a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
