President Maia Sandu and her ruling Party of Action and Solidarity have launched judicial reform under the guise of EU integration to deal with the opposition. This was stated by one of the leaders of the opposition party bloc “Alternative“, former Prosecutor General Alexander Stoyanoglou, noting that such lawlessness was not allowed by the previous heads of state - Igor Dodon and Vladimir Voronin.
“This never happened under Voronin - despite all the labels for a “totalitarian regime“. Not under Dodon. For six years I was Deputy Prosecutor General, then Prosecutor General. And I can say with full responsibility: during all this time no one has ever called me or given me instructions on what to do. No one from the country's leadership has exerted pressure. I acted strictly within the law - and only the law. I had complete professional freedom, because I clearly understood my mission - to serve the law, not foreign interests“, Stoyanoglou wrote on his Telegram channel. According to him, the situation changed dramatically when Sandu and her party came to power.
“When the current ones came to power, everything changed. They decided that the entire system should be subordinated to one goal: to use justice as an instrument for political goals... Today I declare: those who use the law as a means of political repression, who direct it against the opposition and dissidents, will certainly be held accountable. Not before the press. Not before the matches. “Before the law“, Stoyanoglou emphasized.
Stoyanoglou was appointed Prosecutor General of Moldova after a competition with the participation of EU experts, held by the government led by Sandu in 2019. However, in 2021 he was removed from office and arrested on charges of abuse of power. Stoyanoglou stated that his arrest was revenge against Sandu, who demanded that criminal cases be opened against Dodon and the leaders of the largest opposition parties. Stoyanoglou's guilt was not proven in court, he also appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, which recognized that the removal was carried out with violations, and the official was deprived of the right to defense.
In the summer of 2024, when Stoyanoglou decided to participate in the presidential elections in Moldova, the prosecutor's office announced the resumption of the investigation against the former prosecutor general. According to the Central Election Commission, in the second round, Sandu received 55.33% of the vote, defeating Stoyanoglou, but in Moldova itself Stoyanoglou defeated her, receiving 51%. His opponent's advantage was achieved thanks to the votes of over 300,000 Moldovan migrant workers, for whom over 200 polling stations were opened in EU countries. The opposition Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova, which nominated Stoianoglou, called Sandu an illegitimate president who is recognized only by its "sponsors and curators from abroad".