Denis Cuculescu has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for treason. He allegedly used cryptocurrencies to transfer over 300,000 euros, to carry out actions against the interests of the Republic of Moldova. The sentence was pronounced today by the Chisinau Court, Buiucani headquarters, in the absence of the defendant, who was announced as being sought, reports IPN.
According to the court’s decision, Denis Cuculescu was found guilty of committing several offenses and sentenced to 13 and 10 years of imprisonment. By accumulating these, the judges established a final punishment of 15 years of detention, to be served in a closed-type penitentiary. In addition, he was deprived of the right to operate in the field of financial management for a period of five years.
The court has ordered the preventive detention of the defendant until the final decision of the sentence, with immediate execution. The term of the punishment will also include the period in which he was previously detained, between December 8, 2022 and October 25, 2023, and if he is not found, he will be put on the wanted list.
At the same time, Cuculescu was obliged to pay the state court costs of 6,862 lei and to pay damages of over 3.7 million lei to the injured party. The seizure placed on his assets was maintained, and the sentence can be appealed to the Court of Appeal within 15 days.
According to the case file, Cuculescu acted within a conspiratorial network coordinated from abroad, affiliated with the Russian special services. His role was a key one, related to funding, logistics and the fulfillment of operational tasks, and his activity was managed through Nidjat Askerov, a citizen of the Republic of Moldova. Some people involved from Russia have not yet been identified. According to IPN sources, Denis Cuculescu is currently on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Denis Cuculescu would have used the transferred funds for actions in Ukraine and for public opinion manipulation campaigns. He would have participated in actions intended to generate negative attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees and would have financed the display of military symbols on buildings in Chisinau. Also, he would have collected information about political leaders and would have prepared violent protests, which, however, did not take place.
Overall, according to sources, Cuculescu’s role would have been that of a “financial engine” and dispatcher of clandestine operations. He was a figure who would have ensured the transformation of digital financial flows into practical tools of destabilization – from specific provocations in the public space to attempts to prepare for organized street actions.
Denis Cuculescu is the founder of the companies SRL Shiva Company, which he wholly owns, and Biz2pay, where he holds 50% of the shares.
