Marina Tauber released from house arrest for the third time

Former Shor party lawmaker Marina Tauber has been released from house arrest under judicial supervision for the third time. The decision was taken by the magistrate of the Chisinau Court of Appeals, Buiucani headquarters, Olga Bejenari, during the hearing on Monday, July 17, in the criminal case of indictment of Marina Tauber and the political party “Shor” on four counts of falsifying reports on the financing of the electoral campaign and the political party and accepting illegal financing from an organized criminal group.

“Another victory for our team – Ilan Shor’s team! Today’s decision to put me under judicial control is just a step towards the light in a file that has slandered our entire team,” the MP of the party dissolved by the Constitutional Court’s decision wrote on social media.

The independent MP was placed under house arrest on 2 May after being detained at Chisinau International Airport from where she was due to fly to Tel Aviv, Israel.

The first preliminary hearing in the criminal case against Marina Tauber and the “Shor” political party on four counts of falsifying reports on campaign and political party financing and accepting illegal financing from an organised criminal group took place on Thursday 29 June.

At that time, the meeting examined the request of the prosecutor to extend the preventive measure of house arrest against Marina Tauber. Following the examination of the application, the judge of the Buiucani Court of Chisinau admitted the application in part and ordered the extension of the defendant’s house arrest for 20 days.

Marina Tauber has previously been released under judicial supervision in January-February and in autumn 2022. A decision in this regard was taken in October by the magistrates of the Ciocana court in Chisinau, who partially accepted the prosecutors’ request. A week later, the magistrates of the Chisinau Court of Appeal upheld the appeal lodged by the prosecutors against the decision of the Ciocana Court and the MP was returned to house arrest.

Almost a year ago, on 23 July 2022, Marina Tauber was remanded in custody for 30 days in Penitentiary No. 13 in the capital. On 16 August, magistrates extended the arrest warrant for Marina Tauber for another 20 days in penitentiary no. 13. She was subsequently placed under house arrest and the measure was extended several times.

On 26 May 2023, MPs in the Moldovan Parliament approved the requests of the acting Prosecutor General to waive Marina Tauber’s immunity on three counts, depriving her of parliamentary immunity.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest (MAE) has announced the adoption on 30 June 2023 by the EU General Affairs Council of the first listings of persons sanctioned under the new EU sanctions regime to counter destabilising actions against Moldova, created at the proposal of the Romanian Foreign Minister. Among them was MP Marina Tauber, as well as the leader of the “ȘOR” political party.

On 30 May, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announced the termination of the criminal prosecution of MP Marina Tauber and the legal entity Political Party “Șor”, charged with four counts of falsifying reports on campaign and political party financing and accepting illegal financing from an organised criminal group.

According to the evidence, prosecutors found that Marina Tauber, participating as a candidate nominated by the “Shor” political party for the position of mayor of the municipality of Chisinau, was a candidate for the position of mayor of the municipality of Chisinau. Balti, in the electoral campaign of 21 November 2021, intentionally and in prior agreement with the party treasurer, acting at the behest and in strict coordination with the organized criminal group led by Ilan Shor, would have received from the organized criminal group funds in the amount of 9 752 000 lei, of which 740 464, 50 lei, he would falsely enter in the donation forms in the name of 104 individuals who in reality did not donate this amount of money, false data which he would enter in the reports on the financial management of electoral campaigns, by substituting, concealing the identity of donors, the volume of funds accumulated and used, and then personally sign the reports and register them with the Central Electoral Commission.

She also, according to the AP, knowingly accepted the financing of the electoral contestant from an organized criminal group, during the new local elections for mayor of Balti municipality on 21 November 2021 in the amount of 9 752 000 lei.

At the same time, Marina Tauber is also accused that, as vice-president of the political party “Shor”, in the interests of the political party, she would have knowingly accepted the financing of the political party from the “organized criminal group” led by Ilan Shor in the total amount of 195 518 013 lei, illicit financial sources that would have been integrated into the activity and maintenance of the party, in order to promote and achieve the interests of the “organized criminal group” in the political arena of the Republic of Moldova, to seize power in the state.