The anti-EU former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, detained on suspicion of “passive corruption, illegal financing of political parties [and] illicit enrichment,” is now facing four criminal charges his lawyer revealed on Wednesday. They include corruption and treason.
The day before, Dodon, who headed the country from 2016-2020, was arrested, for 72 hours, the country’s anti-corruption authority revealed. The treason charge appears to have been added later.
“Today, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office officially charged Dodon with four counts, including corruption and treason,” his counsel Maxim Lebedinsky told the Sputnik news agency.
His opposition Party of Socialists has accused the pro-EU Action and Solidarity faction along with the current Western-backed Moldovan President, Maia Sandu, of “trying to intimidate political opponents and establish a dictatorship in the Republic of Moldova.”
TASS reported that the detention period for Dodon and an unnamed second suspect could be extended.