Fugitive MP Ilan Shor was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in the bank fraud case. By this definitive decision, the Chisinau Appeals Court banned him from holding posts in the banking sector for a period of five years and ordered to levy a sum of 5.2 billion lei on the politician. The lawyers for the leader of the Shor Party said the sentence will be challenged in the Supreme Court of Justice, IPN reports.
The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office noted that Ilan Shor was sentenced for swindle and money laundering in very large proportions committed by an organized criminal group. The jail term will start to be calculated since the convict is arrested, by including the period of arrest. By the same sentence, the Chisinau Appeals Court fully accepted the civil claim of Banca de Economii (Savings Bank), ordering to collect 5.2 billion lei from the culprit.
The decision can be disputed in the Supreme Court of Justice and the lawyers for Ilan Shor already announced their intention to do this. According to them, the judges of the Appeals Court pronounced the decision under huge pressure exerted by the current government. “We consider the Appeals Court’s decision does not correspond to the facts depicted in the criminal case, the laws of the Republic of Moldova and the Penal Code. The judges took such a decision under very great pressure exerted by the government. The lawyers presented all the available evidence that was, regrettably, ignored. We are convinced that in such circumstances, the lawyers for Ilan Shor will win this criminal case at the European Court of Human Rights,” said lawyer Aureliu Kolenko.
The fugitive politician also reacted, saying that this decision represents revenge taken by the regime for the protest movement he initiated. Moreover, he noted he will not comply with the court judgment. “For the decision taken today, these three judges will be jailed in the nearest future. I want them to know that I and my supporters will not forget how this illegal and abusive decision was taken, under pressure. Secondly, I address the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. Dear citizens of the Republic of Moldova, I do not feel humiliated by this decision. I don’t care. I don’t intend to comply and this decision will be annulled exactly the next day after the current regime is replaced by an impartial and fair institution,” stated Ilan Shor.
After Shor was convicted by the Chisinau Appeals Court, President Maia Sandu said that Shor will stay in jail for 15 years for the billion theft and his property will be confiscated. “We wanted such a development so that justice was done to the people. This was asked by the citizens – those who steal should pay back the money and the law should rule. Only such justice can become legitimate - by decisions that punish the thieves and do justice,” stated the official.
In June 2017, Ilan Shor was sentenced to seven years and a half in jail for causing damage to the state by swindle and abuse of trust. The given sentence was challenged in the Chisinau Appeals Court and the examination of the case was delayed as the case was transferred to the Cahul Appeals Court at the request of the lawyers for Shor. Later, the case was returned to the Chisinau Appeals Court, also at the request of the lawyers. Ilan Shor was stripped of parliamentary immunity for several times, including after the elections of July 2021. In the last legislature, he didn’t attend any sitting of Parliament.
