Moldovan opposition MP Marina Tauber extends house arrest for another 20 days

KISINEV, 29 December – RIA Novosti. A court in Chisinau has rejected a request by the lawyers of Marina Tauber, deputy leader of the opposition Shor party, to lift the preventive measure, RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

On Thursday, the Moldovan capital’s district court considered requests from lawyers and a petition from prosecutors for Tauber’s preventive action. While the defense advocated his release, prosecutors insisted on an extension of his detention. The hearings were held against the backdrop of a strike organized by party activists.

After the meeting, Judge Elizaveta Buzu read the verdict, which stated that the court denied the lawyers’ request.

“House arrest is being extended for 20 days, the court upholds the prosecutors’ request,” Buzu said.

Leaving the courtroom, Tauber told reporters that his arrest was the result of political pressure from the ruling party and President Maia Sandu.

“The court’s decision is absolutely baseless, it contradicts all national and international legal norms. Political pressure from the ruling party Sandu and Justice Minister Sergei Litvinenko continues,” the politician said.

The vice chairman of the “Shor” party is involved in the case of illegal financing of political power, suspected of falsifying the financial report. Tauber, who sees the case as a political establishment, denies all charges against him.

The Shor party has been holding an indefinite protest in Chisinau since September 18. Demonstrators are outraged by the unprecedented rise in gas, other energy sources and food prices, as well as high inflation and falling living standards. Protesters accuse authorities of failing to cope with the crisis, pointing to record inflation over the past 20 years, reaching 33.97% year-on-year in September. The country’s leadership has been criticized for its unwillingness to negotiate better gas prices with Russia and for political pressure on opposition representatives. Moldovan authorities have repeatedly called for the liquidation of the Shor party, accusing it of illegal financing.

Ilan Shor, the leader of the political formation, previously said in a statement on social networks that the indefinite protests were temporarily slowed due to the approaching winter holiday and to ensure the safety of the demonstrators.