Marina Tauber was sentenced in absentia to 7.5 years for allegedly funding an opposition party that was banned before the presidential election
Marina Tauber was sentenced in absentia for allegedly funding an opposition party that was banned before the presidential election
Former Moldovan lawmaker Marina Tauber was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on charges of financing the outlawed opposition SOR Party.
Moldova’s top court banned the party, led by businessman Ilan Sor, in 2023, prior to the presidential election, citing illicit financing from abroad. He was forced to flee the country to avoid prosecution. Despite the ban, the party’s elected lawmakers were allowed to remain in parliament as independents.
Commenting on the latest ruling, Tauber, who was also ordered to surrender over 200 million lei ($12 million) and was banned from holding public, civic, or financial roles in political parties for five years, denied any wrongdoing.
“Not because I broke the law, but because I did not betray my people. Because I am not afraid to say that Moldova is dying under Sandu’s rule and her Western handlers,” Tauber told RIA Novosti, referring to the pro-EU ambitions of Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
Tauber was not present at the sentencing, as she was forced to leave the country, citing politically motivated prosecution. Following the court’s decision, her lawyer said he did not know her current whereabouts, but confirmed plans to appeal the verdict.
The ruling came just two days after parliamentary elections in which the pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), led by Sandu, narrowly secured a majority with 50.2% of the vote. The opposition Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP) trailed closely behind with 49.8%.
The election campaign was marked by pressure on opposition groups, according to observers and analysts. Among the incidents cited was the arrest of Gagauzia’s governor, Evgenia Gutsul, which was described by critics as politically motivated. Two other opposition parties, Greater Moldova and Heart of Moldova, were barred from the vote shortly before election day.
