A new court hearing in the case of fugitive MP Ilan Shor has been postponed due to the non-appearance of defenders, including the foreign lawyer admitted to the trial and the lawyer appointed by the court, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announced on Monday, February 13, noting that “the latter invoked reasons of illness”.

According to the PA, the lawyers were fined “for unjustified absence from the hearing”.

“The arguments invoked by the picked lawyers resided in the fact that they had been summoned to another criminal case at the Chisinau Court, Ciocana seat, where a request to replace the preventive measure, the judicial control in relation to Marina Tauber, was to be examined. Despite the fact that the lawyers were informed about the postponement of the hearing to be held at the Chisinau Court of Appeal, Ciocana, they did not appear at the Chisinau Court of Appeal.

The state prosecutor, analysing the reasons given by the defenders, requested the court to impose fines on the lawyers for their unjustified absence from the hearing and to inform the Lawyers’ Union about the intentional delay of the hearings. As a result, the plaintiff’s requests were granted and the lawyers were fined and the Lawyers’ Union was informed.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office qualifies the actions of the defence party as an attempt to intentionally delay the examination of the case and insists on the use in good faith by the defence party of the procedural weapons granted by the law,” the PA states.

Fugitive MP Ilan Shor is defended by five lawyers, according to the PA, and according to Article 70(6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure “procedural actions in which the participation of the defence counsel is required may not be considered to have been carried out in violation of the rules of criminal procedure if not all the defence counsels of the party in question participated in their performance”.

From November 2022 to date, court hearings have been adjourned several times at the request of the defence, the case being at the stage where the defence party is to present its arguments in support of its appeal claims. The next hearing has been set for 20 February 2023.

On 12 June 2019, Shor held a final press conference. It was two days before the Democratic Party of Moldova cedes power and goes into opposition. Subsequently, on 30 July 2019, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that Ilan Shor had illegally left Moldova and was put under national and international search.

In June 2022, ZdG wrote that it had been three years since Ilan Șor, the deputy of the “Șor” political party, who is under investigation in the “bank fraud” case, left Moldova. During this period, Șor, who lost his parliamentary immunity for the second time in May this year, appeared in numerous videos posted on his Facebook page in which he launched several attacks on the ruling party and Moldovan President Maia Sandu. Although he is a member of parliament, Shor has not attended any of the meetings called by parliament.

In the “bank fraud” case, Shor is charged on nine counts.