Prosecutors have finalized the presentation of evidence in support of the indictment against former President Igor Dodon, leader of the Socialist Party, in the case generically referred to as "kuliok". Now more than 190 witnesses included in the defense's evidence list are to be heard, IPN reports.
The anti-corruption prosecutor's office says that Igor Dodon is accused of having demanded and accepted up to 1 000 000 dollars from Vladimir Plahotniuc and Sergei Yaroshe Y Iaralov to promote their interests. The two created and ran a criminal organization and had an interest in controlling the political, social and economic processes in the Republic of Moldova, as well as to evade criminal liability in the Russian Federation.
The money was demanded by Igor Dodon to pay the running expenses of the PSRM, including the salaries of the party's employees. The criminal case was sent to court in October 2022.
During the court hearings before the Supreme Court, 15 witnesses were heard and a number of minutes and documents were examined.
According to the PA, the presentation of evidence took more than two years, as the compositions of the trial panels changed several times due to the resignations of Supreme Court judges in the context of the vetting procedure initiated in March 2023. Lawyers also filed requests for recusal, as well as failed to ensure the presence of witnesses in court.
Earlier, Igor Dodon said that the case is a fabricated one to distract public attention from the real issues.
