“Yesterday the Cahul Court of Appeals judges treated the law like a joke,” declared Ilan Shor in a video posted on Facebook in reaction to the tribunal ordering him to be arrested as a fugitive from justice. The politician also affirmed he was a victim of threats and political persecution.
According to Ilan Shor, a hearing was scheduled for July 19 and he intended to show up together with his lawyer. But a few days before the date, the lawyer was contacted by the Court and told that the hearing was off because one of the judges had gotten sick. When a new hearing was slated for July 25, says Shor, his lawyer requested another postponement “for personal reasons”, but got dismissed.
Acting on “information that the Cahul judges have been under extreme pressure from the current so-called government”, Shor decided to replace the lawyer and requested that his appeal be heard by a different panel of judges, but this request was dismissed as well.
The MP says he and his family, as well as his colleagues received threats “from the very first day of the new government,” and he has decided not to appear in Parliament for his own safety. He added that he could “tell a lot of things” about the current government, including Igor Dodon.
According to Ilan Shor, “people these days are talking about the need of staging protest rallies against the dire situation in the country” and his party is ready to support this. “If the people ask it, I promise, the current government will not have a sweet life, because we will seek genuine justice and liberation,” declared Shor.
In June 2017, Ilan Shor was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for his role in the $1B bank fraud. The sentence was challenged in the Appeals Court and Shor was freed from house arrest on bail until a definitive sentence. In February 2018, the case was moved to the Cahul Appeals Court and a final judgement hasn’t been passed yet. About a month ago Shor reportedly sneaked out of the country in breach of his bail conditions and bypassing border and customs formalities.