Court of Appeal Upholds Gutul’s Sentence – 7 Years in Prison

Central Court of Appeal today reviewed the appeal filed by the lawyers of Gagauzia Governor Evghenia Gutul. The Central Court of Appeal upheld the ruling of the court of first instance, under which Governor Evghenia Gutul and Svetlana Popan were sentenced to seven and six years of imprisonment respectively, ipn.md reports. The decision on the appeal submitted by the defense was announced on Thursday. Evghenia Gutul rejected all accusations and stated that she had committed no illegal acts. She noted that during the period referenced in the case materials, she held a position within the party that did not grant decision-making authority. Earlier, the head of Gagauzia described the sentence as “harsh” and stated that the ruling of the first-instance court may have been politically motivated.