Moldova Supreme Court Upholds Bribery Conviction of Consul in Odesa

The Supreme Court of Moldova dismissed the defense's complaints, upholding the decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal of September 20, 2023, which found the Consul of the Consulate of the Republic of Moldova in Odesa, Sergei Sheptelich, guilty of taking a bribe.

This was reported by the press service of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Moldova.

By the decision of the Court of Appeal, the consul received a criminal penalty in the form of a fine of 75 thousand lei and deprivation of the right to hold public office for a period of 3 years for committing a crime of passive corruption.

He was also sentenced to one year in prison for incitement to commit the crime of forgery of official documents, but for both crimes he was released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. The intermediaries were sentenced to 5 and 4 years in prison, respectively, and fined 150 thousand lei. Their prison sentence was commuted to a three-year probationary period.

The criminal investigation took place between November 6, 2018 and July 5, 2019. According to the decision of the Court of Appeal, the consul, who was stationed at the Consulate of the Republic of Moldova in Odesa, helped a man of Arab origin to illegally obtain a long-term Moldovan visa and took 100 euros for it.

The consul acted through intermediaries whom he persuaded to forge the necessary documents. At first, he denied his guilt, but later admitted it.

Кирило Бойко