Veronica Dragalin: Execution of prison sentence - mandatory for Ilan Șor
The decision of the Court of Appeal is enforceable and Ilan Șor must be transferred to prison as of now. This is according to Veronica Dragalin, head of the Anti Corruption Prosecutor's Office, who said that although the Court of Appeal's decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ), the sentence has become mandatory and the SCJ's decision can be awaited in prison. Dragalin also says that the final decision of the Court of Appeal is a strong argument for the Chisinau authorities to obtain the extradition of Ilan Șor from Israel, IPN notes.
Yesterday, the Court of Appeal sentenced fugitive politician Ilan Șor to 15 years in prison with execution in the bank fraud case. The head of the anti-corruption prosecutor's office, Veronica Dragalin, says assets belonging to Șor worth one billion lei have been seized in Moldova. The confiscated assets will be transferred to the state budget.
"This is a decision that the citizens of the Republic of Moldova have been waiting for for a long time. Including the prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office who prosecuted the case. It is a final decision. Many assets worth more than 7 billion lei have been seized in the bank fraud case, but not only Ilan Șor's assets. The amount argued by prosecutors to belong to Ilan Șor or his intermediaries is one billion lei, assets located in Moldova. Now a loophole has opened. If we identify assets abroad that belong to Șor, this court decision can be used to enforce it even abroad," Veronica Dragalin said on a private TV show.
Veronica Dragalin says it is the Ministry of Justice that is handling the extradition procedure for Ilan Șor. The Court of Appeal's decision is a strong argument for the need to extradite Șor from Israel, says the head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
"When you have a final decision, you have a better argument that the person should be returned home to serve a sentence. Now it's not just the first instance. Until now, the Israeli authorities were waiting to see what would happen, because it was possible that Ilan Șor would be acquitted at the Court of Appeal and then extradition would not make sense. The fact that we now have a final decision is an important argument that he should be extradited to serve this 15-year sentence here in Moldova," said the head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
The chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office says that the decision of the Court of Appeal can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice, but the sentence has become enforceable and the decision of a possible appeal to the SCJ will be awaited by the convicted person from prison.
"Compared to the first instance, now the sentence has become enforceable. After this decision, the person has to go to prison. If an appeal to the Supreme Court follows the person can wait for the decision in prison. The decision does not depend on the person's will, it is binding. The person can be forcibly transferred to prison. In Interpol, the arrest will be executed if Ilan Șor is in other countries, not just Israel. There is a possibility that the Israeli authorities will recognise the sentence, but the sentence can be carried out in Israel. This is an option," explained Veronica Dragalin.
Fugitive politician Ilan Șor described the Court of Appeal's decision as illegal, taken under pressure and in violation of all legal provisions. Ilan Șor is convinced that the court's decision will be overturned the day after the change of PAS government.
