Magistrates of the Chisinau Court, Ciocana seat, extended the measure in the form of pre-trial detention in Penitentiary No. 13 for the accountant of the “ȘOR” political party, Olga Romanova, one of the seven people who, on July 16, left the territory of Moldova “in order to evade prosecution” in the case.

The information on the extension of the arrest measure was confirmed to Ziarul de Gardă by prosecutor Mariana Cherpec, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s Office (PG).

On August 13, magistrates of the Chisinau Ciocana Court admitted the request of the anti-corruption prosecutors and issued a preventive arrest warrant for Romanova for a period of 30 days, to be executed in Prison No. 13.

Olga Romanova is a lawyer by profession. In 2021, ZdG wrote that for the last two years Romanova has not declared any salary income, although she wrote that she works for the “ȘOR” party. Instead, she had cumulative income of almost 297 thousand lei from rent, compensation and money received on birthdays. Romanova said she owns an apartment, a garage and a commercial space.

On 12 August, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announced about the prosecution actions carried out in the criminal case investigating the alleged illegal actions of illegal financing of the “ȘOR” political party. Thus, according to prosecutors, one of the seven persons who, on 16 July, left the territory of the Republic of Moldova “in order to evade prosecution”, was detained by the NAC prosecution body for a period of 72 hours, on suspicion of complicity in committing the falsification of reports on the financial management of the party and accepting party financing from an “organized criminal group”.

Up to this stage, according to the AP, special investigative measures and prosecution actions have been carried out in the framework of the criminal prosecution, such as: interception and recording of communications and images, undercover investigation, witness hearings, collection of documents, more than 100 searches throughout the country during which computer technology and documents were seized, immunity was lifted, a member of the Moldovan Parliament was detained, searched and arrested, as well as other actions for the full and objective investigation of the circumstances of the case.

On August 10, prosecutors announced that the deadline set by law for the presentation of a legal representative designated by the political party “ȘOR” to the prosecution office for recognition of the party as a suspect in the commission of illegal financing had expired. “In connection with the failure to comply with these legal requirements, on the same date, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office submitted a request to the investigating judge for the appointment of a legal representative from among the persons managing the “ȘOR” Political Party.”

On 21 July, NAC and Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) officers, together with anti-corruption prosecutors, raided several locations in the country as part of a file launched on the illegal financing of the “ȘOR” Political Party.