Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, indicted for committing the crime of passive bribery, organising and accepting political party funding from a “criminal organisation”, announces that he will leave the country for “two to three days”.

Nine days ago, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) rejected the request to extend the preventive measure imposed on the former president.

“After 480 days, for the first time I am leaving the country. But I will return in 2-3 days. We have an important campaign and political battle ahead of us,” said the former president.

The destination chosen by the socialist remains unknown.

The judges of the Supreme Court rejected on Thursday 14 September the prosecutor’s request to extend the preventive measure against Igor Dodon. The former president is thus no longer subject to travel restrictions abroad.

The decision was taken by a panel of judges Anatolie Turcan, Ion Malanciuc and Ghenadie Eremciuc.

The SCJ’s decision comes shortly after the case prosecutor Petru Iarmaliuc was replaced in the context of legislative changes.

On 29 August, socialist Igor Dodon’s appeal against the 17 July 2023 decision of the Supreme Court of Justice to extend the preventive measure of an order not to leave the country was rejected as inadmissible.

On 27 February, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) reported that, after 13 court sessions, anti-corruption prosecutors have started presenting evidence in support of the charges against former President Igor Dodon in the case in which he is suspected of passive bribery, organisation and acceptance of political party financing from a “criminal organisation”.

The former president is under judicial control. On 18 November 2022, Igor Dodon was released from house arrest and placed under judicial control, with a ban on leaving the country.

Earlier in February, the PA announced that prosecutors had ordered the recognition and hearing as suspects of former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, his wife Galina Dodon and the doctor who made the “false medical document” on the basis of which the SCJ allowed the former head of state and his wife to leave the country.

The first court hearing in the case of former head of state Igor Dodon, which is investigating the episode filmed in June 2019, when he received a black bag from Vladimir Plahotniuc, took place on Monday, October 17, at the Supreme Court of Justice. Dodon is defended by three lawyers, and the prosecution is being handled by two prosecutors.

On October 6, 2022, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the indictment of the criminal case against former President of Moldova Igor Dodon in the commission of the crime of passive bribery and organization and acceptance of political party financing from a criminal organization, committed during his term as President of Moldova in June 2019.

The two-count case against Igor Dodon has been submitted to the SCJ for examination on the merits. According to the provisions of Article 39 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the SCJ is competent to judge in first instance criminal cases concerning crimes committed by the President of the Republic of Moldova, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Igor Dodon was detained on 24 May after anti-corruption prosecutors carried out ten raids for more than ten hours at several locations owned by Dodon and his relatives.

Dodon is the first head of state to be tried for a crime committed while in office.