Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who is accused of committing the crime of passive bribery, organising and accepting political party funding from a “criminal organisation”, remains under judicial control. The decision was taken on Thursday 16 March by the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ), who accepted the prosecutors’ request to extend the preventive measure – an order not to leave the country for 60 days.

Representatives of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) told Ziarul de Gardă that Igor Dodon had requested permission to leave Moldova between 31 March and 10 April 2023 to make a pilgrimage to a monastery in Greece.

“The prosecutor requested the rejection of the request as it is unfounded, no evidence was presented to prove the exceptional personal situation of the defendant Dodon Igor to leave the country. The pronouncement of the decision on the application was postponed to 24 March 2023,” PA representatives claim.

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

Dodon is the first head of state to be tried for a crime committed while in office. For this reason, the case was referred directly to the SCJ, which by law is competent to try criminal cases involving offences committed by a head of state at first instance.

After several preliminary hearings, on 11 November 2022, in a tense atmosphere, the SCJ began examining the merits of the “kuliok” case.

On 6 October 2022, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the referral for trial of the criminal case of indictment of 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 the exercise of his mandate as President of the Republic of Moldova in June 2019.

Earlier in February, the AP 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.