The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) informs in a press release about sending to court the criminal case of indictment of the defected MP Irina Lozovan and her husband Pavel Gîrleanu, a district councillor of the Ocnita District Council. The two are charged with the crime of knowingly accepting political party funding from an “organised criminal group” and complicity in the crime.

The criminal prosecution was initiated in June 2023 by the prosecution body of the North Territorial General Directorate of the National Anti-Corruption Centre (NAC), based on a complaint.

“According to the evidence administered, prosecutors found that Irina Lozovan, being a member of Parliament and a member of the Political Bureau of the Political Party “Renaissance” (“Renaștere” in Romanian, e.d) Party, acting intentionally and by prior agreement with her husband and other persons not established at the time by the prosecution body, who are part of the leadership of the “Renaissance” Party and who have the right to manage its financial sources, ignoring the rules governing the financing of political parties, knowingly accepted the financing of the “Renaissance” Party from the organised criminal group led by Ilan Shor.

In this regard, because the political party “Shor” was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court’s decision of 19 June 2023, Ilan Shor, with the aim of maintaining control over some political, electoral and social processes in Moldova, offered the member of the political bureau of the political party “Renaissance”, Lozovan Irina, money to identify as many mayors and local councillors as possible, to convince them to join the party “Renaissance”, says the statement of the Prosecutor’s Office.

According to prosecutors, the accused tried to recruit the mayor of Ocnita, promising him 1 million lei personally and another 1 million lei allocated to the town hall to be used for the development of Ocnita’s infrastructure, “in order to strengthen the electoral position of the “Renaissance” Party, affiliated to former fugitive MP Ilan Shor.

Although the mayor of Ocnita refused the proposal, the defendants continued their persuasion and on 2 August 2023, the deputy’s husband sent the mayor the sum of $30,000, money collected by Irina Lozovan’s husband from the headquarters of the “Renaissance” Party, which came from the “organized criminal group” led by Ilan Shor, being detained and searched the same day.

On 21 September 2023, MPs approved the request of the acting Prosecutor General to lift the immunity of MP Irina Lozovan, depriving her of parliamentary immunity.

The defendants did not admit their guilt, and the criminal case was sent to the Buiucani court for examination on the merits.

For the offence charged, the law provides for a fine ranging from 57 500 to 92 500 lei or imprisonment from 2 to 7 years, in both cases with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise certain activities for 2 to 5 years.

In order to guarantee the execution of the fine and possible special or extended confiscation, a seizure of approximately 477,500 lei was imposed, including on a real estate, a means of transport and money seized during the searches.

The person accused of committing a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court judgment.