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Criminal case finaliza în prima instanță Guilty

Over 8 million lei in Drochia for the illegal financing of the 'Șor' party and the mobilization of protesters.

Art. 181² CC. Location: Drochia-Chisinau

1-708/2025 24.07.2022 Coștei Dumiru

Factual summary

Coștei Dumitru, as the president of the Territorial Organization Drochia of the Political Party “Șor”, contributed to the acceptance of illegal financing of the party from the organized criminal group led by Ilan Șor.

During the period from 24.07.2022 to 16.10.2022, he organized the mobilization and transportation of individuals from the Drochia district to the protests organized by PP “Șor” in Chișinău, including by transmitting lists of participants, lists of means of transport, and photographs regarding the boarding of protesters.
The mobilized individuals were typically paid 400 lei/day, and the transportation was covered from undeclared financial means received through couriers.

Separately, during the period from 18.09.2022 to 16.10.2022, Coștei Dumitru was responsible for the record-keeping and transmission of lists for individuals in tents in the “City of Change”, indicating 62 individuals from the Drochia district, paid 200 USD for 48 hours, totaling 179,800 USD, equivalent to 3,496,924 lei.

In total, the amount of illegal financing attributed to his actions was 8,145,419.48 lei.

Other property measures: None were applied.

Court Decision

First court: Conviction
Appeal: Not applicable
Review: Not applicable

Sanctions and measures

Imprisonment with execution. Imprisonment: 60 months (with suspended sentence)

Financial indicators

0,00 MDL
Applied fine
0,00 MDL
Recovered amounts
Yes
Asset freeze

CRJM expert observation

The case was tried in the court of first instance in general procedure. The defendant did not admit his guilt. In order to reach a conviction, the court of first instance examined several pieces of evidence (results of examinations, searches, special investigative measures, etc.), including hearing 28 witnesses. The case is relevant for judicial practice as it addresses acts of electoral corruption that took place in 2022, including revealing methods of using money accepted from the organized criminal group “Șor” (organizing and remunerating individuals to participate in protests, paying members of PP “Șor”), the amount paid to each person for participating in protests, as well as communication methods for the preparation and prolonged commission of the acts.

Case timeline

Criminal case
Over 8 million lei in Drochia for the illegal financing of the 'Șor' party and the mobilization of protesters.
Coștei Dumiru
01
24.07.2022
Period of the acts
24.07.2022–16.10.2022 — Coștei Dumitru organized the mobilization, registration, transportation, and reporting of individuals from the Drochia district to the protests organized in the city of Chișinău; lists, transportation data, and photographs were provided, and participants were typically paid 400 lei per day.

Specific protests:
24.07.2022 — 398 persons / 142,700 lei;
23.08.2022 — 387 persons / 147,600 lei;
02.09.2022 — 754 persons / 377,000 lei;
09.09.2022 — 808 persons / 543,755.60 lei;
18.09.2022 — 1,075 persons / 765,152.32 lei;
25.09.2022 — 1,074 persons / 763,340.60 lei;
02.10.2022 — 873 persons / 615,669.84 lei;
09.10.2022 — 984 persons / 671,487.80 lei;
16.10.2022 — 914 persons / 621,789.32 lei.

From 18.09.2022 to 16.10.2022 — additionally, Coștei Dumitru was responsible for the registration, verification, confirmation, and transmission of the lists of individuals in tents in the "City of Change"; 62 individuals from the Drochia district were indicated, paid 200 USD for 48 hours, over 29 days, totaling 179,800 USD / 3,496,924 lei.

On 20.10.2022 — the actions were interrupted before he received from the courier the package with financial means amounting to 582,800 lei, intended for the Drochia district.
02
25.07.2022
Initiation of legal proceedings
On 25.07.2022 — a search at the territorial office of Drochia of the PP "Șor", with the seizure of the system block "Sohoo", subsequently investigated for identifying electronic files regarding lists of persons, photographs, transport, and donation forms. On 20.10.2022 — searches at the couriers involved in transporting money: the car used by Ipatieva Liudmila and the residence of Chirilov Ruslan, with the seizure of significant amounts of money, phones, and packages intended for territorial organizations. Between 02.11.2022 and 03.11.2022 — a search at the central headquarters of PP "Șor" and the examination of the seized documents, including documents regarding the number of participants organized for transport to protests, transport expenses, and remuneration of participants from the districts, including Drochia. Between 25.11.2022 and 15.02.2023 — a search at the residence of the secretary of OT Drochia, Rusu Valeria, and the examination of the seized phone, identifying lists of persons mobilized for protests, photos regarding transport, donation forms, and other relevant data for OT Drochia. Between 01.12.2022 and 30.11.2022 — preparation of reports on the technical-scientific verification of the authenticity of the monetary means seized from couriers, including amounts of 2,405,450 lei and 1,658,450 lei + 4,000 USD. On 18.04.2023 — the seizure and examination of the optical medium with records of protests, transport, and personnel, containing 2162 files in 83 folders, used for calculating and confirming the mobilization/transportation of protesters. During the criminal investigation — special investigative measures were recorded and examined, including interceptions of communications of Coștei Dumitru regarding the organization of transport, transmission of photographs, participation in protests, and discussions about the remuneration of participants.
03
21.03.2025
Referral to court
March 21, 2025 - The case was registered in court
04
21.04.2026
Pronouncement of the decision
On 21.04.2026, the court ordered the conviction of Coștei Dumitru, imposing a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 5 years, with a suspended sentence for a probation period of 3 years, as well as deprivation of rights for a term of 5 years.
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Identification data
Case no. 1-708/2025
PIGD no. 1-25037532-12-1-21032025
Court Chișinău Court, Buiucani headquarters
Started 24.07.2022
Verdict 21.04.2026
Case duration 3 years, 8 months
Judge Liliana Cușcă · Judecătoria Chișinău, sediul Buiucani
Prosecutor Oxana Beltei
Lawyer Jaman Constantin
Defendants
Coștei Dumiru
Procedural stage
Criminal investigation
Trial
Verdict
4
Appeal
5
Recourse
6
Closed