Moldovan politician Ilan Shor, leader of a populist party with the same name, has been stripped of his parliamentary mandate in connection with a court conviction for “stealing a billion”.
In a vote on 27 April, 56 MPs from the ruling Action and Solidarity party voted to strip Shor of his mandate.
The head of the parliamentary commission for law, appointments and immunity, Olesya Stamate, explained that the initiative to withdraw the mandate is linked to the court verdict, under which Ilan Shor was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 5 billion lei (over $250 million) worth of property confiscated in a ‘billion theft’ case.
Shor’s seat in parliament became vacant and will be filled according to the party list.
Ilan Shor had earlier described the initiative to strip him of his mandate as a “hysterical reaction” by the authorities to a protest the party is planning for 7 May.
In 2019, after the Democratic Party of Moldova left power, Shor left the country. He is reportedly in Israel and is now believed to be serving his sentence there if he is not extradited to Moldova.
In recent months, Shor’s party has organised regular mass anti-government protests in Moldova. The US and the UK have imposed sanctions against him.
