Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, indicted for committing the crime of passive bribery, organizing and accepting political party financing from a “criminal organization”, will not be able to make a pilgrimage to a monastery in Greece from March 31 to April 10, 2023. The ruling was handed down on Friday 24 March by magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ).

The information was confirmed to the Guard newspaper by anti-corruption prosecutor Petru Iarmaliuc.

On 16 March, the judges of the SCJ accepted the prosecutors’ request to extend the preventive measure – an order not to leave the country for 60 days – against socialist Igor Dodon.

Representatives of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) previously told Ziarul de Gardă that Igor Dodon had requested permission to leave Moldova from 31 March to 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 March 24, 2023,” PA representatives said.

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.

On 6 October 2022, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the referral 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.