Two Ukrainian citizens face life imprisonment for allegedly murdering a compatriot on Moldovan soil. They are suspected of killing a former Ukrainian deputy, whose body was found in a well shaft in Grătiești commune, in Chisinau municipality. Prosecutors announced the completion of the criminal prosecution of one of the accused and issued an arraignment.

A Prosecutor General's Office press release states that the body of a man with signs of violent death was found in a well shaft near Grătiești commune, on May 18, 2018. Prosecutors managed to identify the victim, who turned out to be a citizen of Ukraine, aged 59. The man was a former deputy of the Rada for Zhytomir region.

According to evidence, the victim arrived in Chisinau on the evening of May 15 last year, in order to meet the two accused, both Ukrainian citizens, with whom he had set up a meeting in the Botanica district. The victim found himself in the suspects' car, en route to Balti, where the accused strangled him. In order to hide evidence of their crime, they threw his corpse into a well near Grătiești. 

Immediately after the crime, the perpetrators left Moldova. After identifying the suspects, the two were announced internationally wanted. A month ago, one of the accused was detained in Belgium and extradited to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova for criminal prosecution. His accomplice is still at large. Evidence of his wrongdoings are being disjointed in a separate proceeding.

Upon questioning, the accused did not acknowledge his guilt. According to prosecutors, the murder was carefully premeditated by the accused. They lured the victim to the territory of the Republic of Moldova, hoping to avoid identification and punishment.