Protests against Ivan Burgudji’s conviction in Chisinau

A group of residents of the Autonomous Territorial Unit Gagauzia staged a protest in the square of the National Opera House in Chisinau on August 21. They protested against, as they said, the illegal sentencing of Ivan Burgundji to 12 years in jail. The participants said that the legal case opened against Ivan Burgudji was fabricated and the legal action taken was not only against him, but against the entire Gagauzia. The situation of Burgudji was compared with the situation of political detainee of the former defence minister Valeriu Pasat, because the authorities did not like him. The protesters said they are not satisfied with the political regime in Chisinau, describing it as monarchy. Burgudji’s supporters said they will protest until he is set free. On 22 June 2007, the Court of Rascani district sentenced Ivan Burgudji to 12 years’ imprisonment for offenses stipulated in article 195 paragraph (2) of the Penal Code - misappropriation in extremely large quantities, regardless of the form in which the offence was committed. The Court found him guilty of embezzling 81 900 lei, money that he used for personal interests, causing considerable damage to the state. According to Valeriu Temirov, prosecutor for the Genera Prosecutor’s Office, through its sentence the court found Burgudji guilty on all counts.