The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announces that on March 3, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., a new hearing was held on the indictment case of Ilan Shor, sentenced in 2017 to prison for swindling, during which his defenders filed a request for postponement on the grounds of the filing with the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) of a request for the case to be transferred.

“The request for postponement being assessed by the court as unfounded on the grounds that there is currently no Supreme Court ruling that would order the suspension of the criminal proceedings, thus continuing the trial.

Following the rejection of the request for postponement, the lawyers submitted a request for a full recusal to the full bench of the Chisinau Court of Appeal.

As a result of the examination of the recusal request, the recusal was rejected as unfounded, abusive and submitted in bad faith in order to delay the examination of the criminal trial. All four lawyers present at the hearing, including the lawyer from the UK, were fined 2250 lei (around 112 EUR) each,” according to the PA.

After the examination of the motion for recusal, the examination of the case continued with the presentation of the evidence of the defence previously investigated and on which the defence bases its position, anti-corruption prosecutors announced.

The next hearing has been set for 10 March 2023 at 09:30, at which, according to the PA, the defence is to continue presenting evidence in support of its appeals.

Fugitive MP Ilan Shor is defended by 5 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 cannot be considered to have been carried out in violation of the rules of criminal procedure if not all the defenders of the party in question participated in them”.

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.

On 12 June 2019, Shor held a final press conference. It was just two days before the Democratic Party of Moldova cede power and move to the 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 did not attend any of the meetings called by parliament.

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