Historic Arrest: Gagauzia’s Leader Jailed for the First Time

The ruling regime has sought to compensate for the failure of its domestic agenda with a new wave of terror against the opposition and dissenters, a striking example of which is the public political execution of the Governor of Gagauzia ahead of the parliamentary campaign

Cristian RUSSU, RTA: In recent weeks, the ruling circles have been in turmoil over criticism for their inability to counter the supposedly carefree activities of opposition groups affiliated with Ilan Shor. Former head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Veronica Dragalin, has repeatedly been vocal about the sluggishness of law enforcement in dealing with the leadership and activists of Shor’s projects. Some civil activists have also leaked sensitive details. The authorities overlooked Marina Tauber’s leaving the country and later lost track of Alexandr Nesterovschi and Irina Lozovan. While Tauber outmaneuvered the regime through entirely legal procedural means (a court ruling lifting her travel restrictions), the sudden disappearance of the two deputies triggered outright hysteria among the country’s leadership and confusion among the regime’s supporters. Nesterovschi and Lozovan were stripped of their deputy immunity back in September last year, but the authorities failed to follow through with their arrest and imprisonment. Contradictory statements from PAS deputies, ministers, and other officials about the circumstances and reasons behind the successful escape of these opposition figures – who had long been a thorn in the regime’s side – only worsened the situation. The public was never given clear information on when and how the two citizens left the country. Outright mockeries were directed at the authorities. For this reason, one of the outcomes of the closed session of the Supreme Security Council on March 25 was the decision to detain the Governor of Gagauzia. Moreover, President Sandu practically openly declared her intention to finally eliminate her hated opponent, Evghenia Gutul. In the announcement for the Security Council meeting, the presidency stated that the move was aimed at ‘strengthening the security of the electoral process’. Naturally, the summons of all those responsible for the law enforcement sector was not just about hearing the report on the ‘progress made in the fight against political and electoral corruption and preventing illegal financing of political parties’, as mentioned in the press release. The Security Council meeting was meant to specifically name those tasked with carrying out the will of Her Majesty by publicly punishing the Governor, removing the formal leader from Shor’s supporters, and, in effect, from all Gagauzians. By the way, to provide the media coverage of Gutul’s detention at the airport, PAS even appointed several close activists. Maia Sandu skipped the traditional briefing after the Security Council meeting, likely to avoid losing her temper on camera. Instead, she let the public assess the government’s resolve. The press release briefly stated that the key topic was ‘the fight against illegal financing of parties and electoral campaigns, and sanctions for electoral corruption’. The arrest was carried out dramatically, but the law enforcement officers were unable to explain their actions clearly in legal terms. The border police stated that they detained the Governor due to a travel ban that appeared in the electronic system. She was held for several hours, searched, and only then the masked officers from the National Anti-Corruption Center arrived with arrest documents. This clearly indicates that, until the last moment, there was no consensus among the law enforcement agencies on how to legally formalize Gutul’s detention. It is likely that, at the time of her passport control, there was no travel ban in the database. Otherwise, it’s hard to explain the delay in involving the National Anticorruption Center in the process, which ultimately brought new charges against the Governor related to violations in the financing of the 2023 election campaign becoming the formal grounds for her detention. In the previous case concerning the 9.74 million lei Gutul allegedly received from Shor’s structures, which is reportedly nearing completion, the prosecutors probably couldn’t obtain a court ruling to impose a travel ban, so they resorted to sanctioning Gutul within the framework of the new case. In any case, the authorities’ goal was to prevent the Governor from leaving the country and to stage a public execution of sorts to unite their supporters, showcase successes in the fight against Kremlin agents in front of European partners who had included Gutul in the sanctions lists back in October of last year and, of course, to intimidate all opposition forces. It is clear that after the 72-hour arrest period expires, the law enforcement will have to come up with something to keep the Governor in custody at all costs until a court decision and subsequent conviction. There have been cases of swift verdicts against high-ranking officials and their removal from the political scene in the country’s recent history. A striking example is the case of Vlad Filat. The question now is whether the officials from the ‘reformed’ justice system will be able to carry out a similar process of eliminating an out-of-favour politician as quickly and harshly as during Vlad Plahotniuc’s era. Overall, the authorities’ plan can be calculated. In the coming months, they aim to remove Evghenia Gutul from the position of the Governor based on a court ruling, dissolve the autonomy’s government, and provoke early elections for its leader. These elections, by the way, could be organized either simultaneously with the parliamentary elections or after them. It is unlikely that anyone in Gagauzia will be able to respond to this blatant act of political reprisal and defend the Governor. The authorities are actively working with opinion leaders and deputies of the National Assembly of the autonomy to demonstrate the fatuity of resistance and the absence of any plan to once again humiliate its residents. As a result, Gutul’s supporters were unable to organize mass protests even in the capital of Gagauzia. The statement of the National Assembly strongly condemning the politically motivated detention of the Governor and demanding her immediate release was not even accepted by all deputies and looks pretty shallow. Threats to convene another congress of deputies at all levels or to appeal to high-ranking European institutions will not be taken seriously by anyone. The reaction from Moscow condemning Chisinau’s practice of persecuting its political opponents only played into the hands of the ruling authorities. PAS-backed officials in both the parliamentary leadership and the foreign ministry quickly seized on the topic of attempted foreign interference in domestic affairs. Now, preventing ‘hostile interference’ from abroad will be much easier for the authorities, at least politically. European partners will surely appreciate and commend.