"It Is Unacceptable for People to Disappear in Moldova." Sandu Appealed the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the ISS on the Ukrainian Judge Abduction

President Maia Sandu called inadmissible the fact that the Ukrainian judge Nikolay Chaus was abducted in Moldova. He fled from Ukraine to Moldova in 2016 and was put on the international wanted list by Interpol on suspicion of bribery. On April 5, Sandu demanded that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Information and Security Service (ISS) clarify the situation as soon as possible. “It is unacceptable for people to disappear in Moldova, regardless of whether they are citizens of the country or not, regardless of whether or not their guilt in committing a crime has been proven. (…) I ask the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the main department responsible for citizens’ safety, as well as the NIS, to clarify this alarming disappearance of a foreign citizen on the territory of Moldova,” Sandu urged on Facebook. Recall, a few days ago a group of unknown armed men kidnapped the judge in the center of Chisinau. This told the lawyer of Chaus, Iulian Balan. The metropolitan police confirmed the information. In 2016, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies caught Judge Chaus bribing $ 150,000 for sentencing in the interests of the defendants. He hid the bribe in jars, which he buried in his garden. On September 6, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine agreed to detain the judge and bring him to criminal responsibility. After that, taking advantage of judicial immunity, the suspect left the territory of Ukraine. RISE Moldova suggests that the judge escaped with the help of Vladimir Plahotniuc's associates, Dorin Damir and businessman Veaceslav Turcu. Journalists believe that Chaus could have been taken out of Ukraine on a charter plane using Turcu's passport. He was put on the national and international wanted list. In Ukraine, he faces imprisonment for a term of eight to 12 years. In 2017, Chaus was detained in Chisinau on suspicion of illegally crossing the state border. Then, at the request of the Ukrainian authorities, he was transferred to the detention center of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office for subsequent extradition. In October 2017, Chaus submitted an application for political asylum, but Moldova rejected it. Later, the Chaus case in Moldova was closed. In 2019, journalists saw him in Chisinau.