Moldovan court places leader of autonomous Gagauzia region under house arrest

​​​​​​​By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - A court in Moldova announced Wednesday that it placed the detained governor of the autonomous Gagauzia region under house arrest.

Moldovan television outlet TV8 reported that the Ciocana branch of the Chisinau City Court decided to transfer Evgenia Gutul from prison to house arrest for 30 days.

Gutul was detained at the Chisinau International Airport on March 25 as part of a criminal case, according to a statement by the Moldovan National Anticorruption Center the following day.

The case was opened “based on the violation of the management of financial means from electoral funds, illegal financing of electoral competitors, forgery of documents and forgery of declarations, related to the 2023 elections,” it said.

It added that Gutul’s detention is also part of a criminal case launched against the former treasurer appointed to the latest election campaign for the region’s leadership in 2023.

The Kremlin condemned Moldova for the detention and urged it to “abandon such methods and provide freedom of action to all political forces in the country.”

Gutul, a member of the Shor party, won the regional presidential election in Gagauzia in May 2023.