Former fugitive MP Ilan Shor, sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud and money laundering in the “Bank Fraud” case, announced on Monday, June 26, the formation of the political bloc “Chance, Obligations, Achievements”, whose abbreviated name (in Romanian) is “Ș.O.R”.

The announcement comes a week after the Constitutional Court upheld the government’s complaint and declared the “Șor” political party unconstitutional.

“(…) The abbreviated name is “Ș.O.R” Bloc and it has two objectives: to achieve victory in local, presidential and parliamentary elections, but also to do everything possible for Moldova to become rich, prosperous and truly independent (…) The “Chance, Obligations, Achievements” Bloc is the only competitor of PAS,” Ilan Șor said in a Facebook post.

After several weeks of debates, the Constitutional Court admitted on Monday, June 19, the government’s petition and declared unconstitutional the political party “Shor” on the grounds that the political party militates against the principles of the rule of law, sovereignty and independence of Moldova. Thus, as of the date of the judgment, the “Sor” political party is considered dissolved and no act of the party’s bodies has legal value. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice will appoint a commission to liquidate the party.

On Thursday 22 June, Parliament approved a package of decisions to implement the Constitutional Court’s decision. Thus, the existence of the Shor Party faction has ceased by right, and the party’s representatives have been excluded from the composition of the Permanent Bureau of the Legislature and from the Moldovan Parliament’s delegations to international parliamentary organisations.

Ilan Shor, who fled Moldova in June 2019 after the fall of the Plahotniuc regime, was sentenced on 13 April 2023 by the judges of the Chisinau Court of Appeal to 15 years in a closed prison, with deprivation of the right to hold office in the banking system for 5 years. According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Ilan Shor is to repay more than 5.2 billion lei to the Savings Bank, a statement by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said.

Immediately after the decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal, Shor threatened the three magistrates who sentenced him. “The magistrates who took this decision will very, very soon end up behind bars. I would like them, watching this video, to know that I and my supporters will certainly not forget how under pressure today an illegal decision was taken, in violation of all legal norms,” said Shor.

Shor left Moldova in June 2019, immediately after the fall of the Plahotniuc regime, and has been in Israel ever since. Șor is also a citizen of this country, which, according to the Constitution, does not extradite its citizens. Although he was a member of parliament, Șor did not attend any meetings convened by parliament.