The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) reports that on Thursday, February 23, the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) continued the examination of the case of Igor Dodon’s indictment, with the examination of the request for the recusal of the president of the trial panel. The request was rejected as unfounded. At the same time, the court issued a decision imposing on each of the former president’s lawyers a judicial fine of 2 500 lei for the “behaviour” displayed.

He is defended by Ion Vîzdoagă, Petru Balan and Nicolae Posturusu.

In addition, according to the PA, the court ordered the Union of Lawyers and the Ministry of Justice to be informed about the “violation of order, officiality and solemnity in the court session” manifested by Dodon’s lawyers.

“At the end of the hearing, in the context of the issues discussed, the lawyers submitted a new request for recusal of the entire court, and a new court will be formed to set the date and time of the next hearing to consider the request for recusal,” the PA informed.

The former President is under judicial control. On 18 November 2022, Igor Dodon was released from house arrest and placed under judicial control, with a ban on leaving the country.

Earlier in February, the PA announced that prosecutors had ordered the recognition and hearing as suspects of former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, his wife Galina Dodon, and the doctor who made the “false medical document” on the basis of which the SCJ allowed the former head of state and his wife to leave the country.

“Thus, the doctor is suspected of making and holding false official documents granting rights. At the same time, the ex-president of Moldova together with his wife, are suspected in the possession and use of the false official document granting rights,” the AP reports.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office states that on 26 January 2023, it opened criminal proceedings on the fact of committing the offence provided for in Article 361 paragraph (2) letter b) of the Criminal Code – “Making, possession, sale or use of false official documents, prints, stamps or seals, actions committed by two or more persons”.

The first court hearing in the case of former head of state Igor Dodon, which is investigating the episode filmed in June 2019, when he received a black bag from Vladimir Plahotniuc, took place on Monday, October 17, at the Supreme Court of Justice. Dodon is defended by three lawyers, and the prosecution is being handled by two prosecutors.

On October 6, 2022, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the indictment of the criminal case against the former President of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, in the commission of the crime of passive bribery and organization and acceptance of political party financing from a criminal organization, committed during his term as President of the Republic of Moldova in June 2019.

The two-count case against Igor Dodon has been submitted to the SCJ for examination on the merits. According to the provisions of Article 39 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the SCJ is competent to judge in first instance criminal cases concerning crimes committed by the President of the Republic of Moldova, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

“According to the charges brought against Igor Dodon, the latter is accused of having, in order to promote the interests of Vladimir Plahotniuc and Sergei Yaralov, who created and led a criminal organization and who had an interest in controlling political, social and economic processes in Moldova, as well as in evading criminal liability in the Russian Federation, demanded and accepted from them money in the amount of $600,000 to $1,000,000. This amount was demanded by Igor Dodon for the payment of the current expenses of the political party “Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova” (PSRM), including the payment of salaries of the employees of the same party,” reads the statement published by the AP.

“We would like to point out that the mentioned amount was collected from Plahotniuc Vladimir and Yaralov Sergei in order to negotiate, in his capacity as President of the Republic of Moldova, with the decision-makers of the Russian Federation, favorable conditions for the political party “Democratic Party of Moldova” (PDM) and, personally, for Plahotniuc Vladimir on the creation of a governing coalition in the Republic of Moldova, between the political party “PDM” and the political party “PSRM”. The interest of this coalition included the distribution of ministerial positions in the new government and the leadership of public institutions, as well as the release of Plahotniuc Vladimir from criminal liability on the pending cases against him, which are under the management of the law enforcement bodies of the Russian Federation,” state prosecutors also say.