The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announced on Wednesday, October 19, that during the court hearing held on October 7 at the Chisinau Court of Appeal, Ilan Shor’s lawyers submitted about 16 requests, including a request to lift the exception of unconstitutionality, as well as two requests to appoint additional experts.

The court examined the defence’s applications and at the hearing on Wednesday 19 October, it rejected 14 of them as unfounded. At the same time, the court is due to consider and rule on the remaining applications at the next hearing, the prosecution said.

“Also present at today’s hearing was lawyer Ion Cretu, representing the interests of Veaceslav Platon, the latter having submitted a request to the Criminal College, asking for his recognition as an injured party in the criminal case against Ilan Shor. In relation to this application, the court ordered the return of the application to comply with the requirements of the law, namely for its translation into the state language,” reads the press release published by the AP.

The next court hearings have been set for October 26, 2022 at 15:30 and October 28, 2022 at 11:30.

Ziarul de Gardă wrote about the case of Ilan Șor, the fugitive MP sentenced in 2017 to seven years and six months in prison for fraud and money laundering, who in August 2021 was assigned to the Chisinau Court of Appeal (CA). He is at the stage of hearing witnesses.

The panel of judges examining the criminal case consists of magistrates Ion Bulhac, Marcel Juganari and Silvia Gîrbu, the former being the reporting judge on the case.

On August 20, 2021, after 10 failed attempts, the magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) admitted the request submitted by lawyer Denis Calaida and ordered the transfer of the trial of the criminal case from the Court of Appeal (CA) Cahul to the Court of Appeal (CA) Chisinau regarding Ilan Shor, the MP sentenced in 2017 to seven years and six months in prison for fraud and money laundering.

The Șor case has been assigned for examination to magistrates Stelian Teleuca, Oxana Robu and Ion Bulhac. Ion Bulhac has been appointed judge-rapporteur on the case, and the first hearing in the case took place on 13 September 2021 at CA Chisinau. Read more here

On 12 June 2019, Shor held a final press conference. It was 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 Șor 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.

In a reply provided to ZdG in June 2022 by the PA, the Prosecutor’s Office stated that investigations have been ordered to search for Ilan Șor both in Moldova and abroad in the criminal case “bank fraud”, pending before the CA. At the same time, extradition procedures have been initiated for him in the criminal case in question, and all the necessary documents have been forwarded by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova to the competent Israeli authorities.

Recently, “CU SENS” journalists identified the luxury villa in Israel where MP Ilan Shor has been living for the last three years.

In recent months, the “CU SENS” team has analysed hundreds of photos and videos posted on social media by the family of criminal MP Ilan Shor, also the leader of the “Shor” party. Most of the images are taken in such a way as not to betray the location of the meeting, which is kept in great secrecy. However, journalists have captured a few details which, put together, have helped identify the luxury villa in Israel where the politician has found refuge for the past three years.