The Governor of Gagauzia Autonomous District, Yevgenia Hutsul, addressed the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu with a written appeal to the head of state, asking him to apologize and publicly refute the statements made against her, considering them “insults” and “unfounded accusations”, otherwise threatening to sue her for defamation , reports NewsMaker.

At a press conference held on Monday, the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, explained why Evgenia Hutsul has not yet been included in the government. “A citizen who works for a criminal group and not for the citizens of Gagauzia, who makes statements against his country, has nothing to look for in the government of Moldova,” Maia Sandu said, as quoted by News.ro.

President Sandu also commented on Evgenia Hutsul’s visit to Russia. “The Russian Federation has openly shown that it relies on criminal groups. Probably, she is no longer satisfied with the pro-Russian forces in the Republic of Moldova, and she decided to bet on criminal groups that seek to destabilize the situation in Moldova,” Maya Sandu emphasized.

Gagauzia’s bagin (leader) later said he would go to court to “protect his honor and dignity.”

“Until now, I have ignored these lies and slanders from Citizen Sandu, but today he has crossed all limits. I demand an answer before the law. Our lawyers will immediately initiate legal proceedings against the honor and dignity of citizen Maya Sandu for the lies and defamation spread during the press conference on March 18, 2024. We hope that Mrs. President will find the courage not to hide behind her immunity and answer for what was said,” Yevgenia Hutsul said.

In the preamble, Yevgenia Hutsul sent the president a premium lawsuit in which she accuses Maya Sanda of “constant insults” and “groundless accusations” against the people who govern Gagauzia.

“The purpose of these attacks is not only to humiliate me personally, but also to question the right of the Gagauz people to decide their fate and choose the leadership of the autonomy without taking into account Chisinau. We did not react to these attacks for a long time, waiting for common sense and pragmatism to force the central government to start a civilized dialogue with the authorities of the autonomy. Sandu’s recent press conference dispelled the last hopes,” Hutsul said.

Hutsul wants an apology from Maya Sandu

The Basque of Gagauzia asked Maya Sanda for a “public apology” and a statement of denial.

“Equality of all citizens before the law is the main principle of the rule of law. In a democratic society, no one, not even the president, is allowed to insult and tarnish the reputation of another citizen. We will seek justice in the Moldovan courts and, if necessary, we will turn to the European Court of Human Rights,” Yevgenia Hutsul warned.

Baskanul noted in the inquiry that Maya Sandu “deliberately spread false rumors.”

“They disgrace me personally as the governor (Bashkan) of the UTA of Gagauzia, democratically elected by the Gagauz people and approved by the court. (…) I emphasize that at the moment there is no final and exculpatory court decision or sentence that would confirm my guilt. (…) The deliberate accusation against me goes beyond the informational nature, which is of interest to public opinion, causing serious damage to my honor, dignity and professional reputation as the governor of Gagauzia,” Hutsul added.

How would Hutsul want that apology to sound?

Therefore, Yevgenia Hutsul appealed to Maia Sandu with a request “to refute, in accordance with the procedure established by law, through the same means of communication, the false and slanderous information presented on March 18, 2024, during the press conference.”

In the statement, Hutsul also gave an example of a text in this sense:

“I, the undersigned Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova, deny the information presented by me during the press conference on March 18, 2024, that Yevgenia Hutsul, Baskan from UTA Gagauzia, works for an organized criminal group and makes statements against her own country. Considering that my own opinion was presented as an established fact, in violation of the presumption of innocence, I publicly apologize and declare that my accusations against Ms. Yevgenia Hutsul are not true and in general are a kind of defamation,” this is indicated in the previous statement , signed by Hutsul.

In the document, Hutsul notes that if Maya Sandu refuses to “satisfy the claims”, she is ready to sue her. “I hope you will satisfy the requirements set forth in this preliminary request by settling the dispute out of court,” Hutsul wrote.

Sandu refuses to appoint her to the government

Yevgenia Hutsul was elected to the position of mayor in the elections of May 14, 2023. She won the election with over 52% of the vote. After the elections, Hutsul, as well as the team of oligarch Ilan Shor, who supported her, were accused of voter corruption. The National Anti-Corruption Center initiated a criminal case “on the fact of corruption of voters and violation of the order of disposal of financial funds of political parties or election funds.” Gutul and Shor rejected the accusations.

On July 19, 2023, the official inauguration of Evgenia Hutsul took place at a magnificent ceremony with the participation of celebrities from Turkey. However, neither the ex-governor of UTA Gagauzia Iryna Vlach nor the top management of the Republic of Moldova were with the new Basque. Although more than six months have passed since the investiture, President Maia Sandu, who is supposed to appoint Hutsul as a member of the executive branch by presidential decree, has not signed the act to that effect.

Earlier, President Maia Sandu said that she is in no hurry to appoint Yevgenia Hutsul to the government, given that there are several “suspicions” about this person. “The law does not provide for a deadline, so I don’t understand how I am breaking it,” Maya Sandu said. For his part, Hutsul has repeatedly stated that he will fight for membership in the government of Chisinau, and appealed to the central authorities of the Republic of Moldova to accept him in the government team.

Last month, Shor’s team appealed to the Constitutional Court over the president’s refusal to appoint Hutsul as a member of the government.

In accordance with the law, the governor of Gagauzia is an ex officio member of the Cabinet of Ministers and is appointed to the position by decree of the country’s president. (News.ro)