Moldova convicts opposition politician

Marina Tauber, a former Moldovan lawmaker, received a 7.5-year prison sentence in absentia for allegedly financing the banned opposition SOR Party. The party was outlawed before the presidential election due to claims of foreign funding. Tauber, who was not present for the ruling, denied wrongdoing, stating,

“Not because I broke the law, but because I did not betray my people. Because I am not afraid to say that Moldova is dying under Sandu’s rule and her Western handlers.”

She was also ordered to forfeit over $12 million and banned from political roles for five years. The ruling followed parliamentary elections where the pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity narrowly won amid alleged pressure on opposition groups.