Moldova’s Supreme Court of Justice ruled on Monday that the prosecutor’s office’s request to return ex-president Igor Dodon to house arrest is unacceptable.
⠀
On November 18, the Collegium of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) of Moldova changed the measure of restraint from house arrest to judicial supervision, this is an analogue of a written undertaking not to leave the country. According to the decision of the court, Dodon is forbidden to leave the country for two months. Prosecutors of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office want to return the politician to house arrest, a corresponding request is published on the agency’s website.
⠀
“The Supreme Court of Justice ruled to reject the prosecutors’ request as inadmissible, the decision is final,” the court’s announced decision says.
⠀
According to Dodon, the appearance of such a request reflects the lack of professionalism of the prosecutors, who did not have the right to challenge the first court decision. The politician believes that the authorities are simply afraid of his meetings with the people.
⠀
In the spring, opposition protests began in Moldova against rising prices and the economic crisis. Separate actions were carried out by the Party of Socialists, which was previously headed by Dodon, and the Shor party. Dodon was detained in May and placed under house arrest. From the very beginning of the protest movement, the Shor party was accused by the Moldovan authorities of illegal financing, periodically searches are carried out in the territorial offices of the political force, and its representatives are detained by employees of anti-corruption agencies. Under house arrest is the vice-chairman of the political party Marina Tauber. The opposition is making counter accusations of political persecution, suppression of protests and usurpation of power to the country’s leadership.
⠀
In October, the hearing of the criminal case against the ex-president of Moldova began. According to the charges brought against Dodon, he is charged with accepting a bribe of up to $1 million from the former leader of the Democratic Party, oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc. Allegedly, this money was requested by the ex-president to pay the current expenses of the PSRM, including the payment of wages to employees of the same political force. The former president completely denies his guilt and believes that the cases against him were initiated for political reasons.
