Suspect in Ukraine assassination plot was pardoned in Moldova in 2022

It has emerged that a Moldovan national, who had a criminal record and was detained as part of a group plotting contract killings of Ukrainian politicians and public figures, was freed in 2022 under a presidential pardon from Maia Sandu. The president has now revoked the pardon.

Source: Аnticoruptie, a Moldovan online platform for reporting corruption and related crimes; European Pravda

Details: The authorities have identified one of the detained Moldovan nationals as Șepeli Nicolae Andrei, 30, who was convicted in Russia in 2017 for drug trafficking. He was transferred to Moldova in 2019 to serve his sentence and released in 2022 after a presidential pardon from Maia Sandu, following petitions from him and the prosecutor's office.

Sandu's administration said on 19 February that she has revoked the decision to pardon Șepeli "in connection with new circumstances provided by the competent authorities".

Earlier reports described a person matching Șepeli's profile – 30, convicted of drug offences, and released in 2022 – as the group's recruiter and a key figure.

Background:

• On 19 February, Moldovan law enforcement reported that Moldovan police and Ukrainian law enforcement bodies as part of a joint investigative team were conducting a criminal investigation into a plot to assassinate several public figures in Ukraine.
• The investigation found that members of the network had acted under the supervision of the Russian secret services. They collected information about the movements, places of residence and lifestyles of potential victims in order to organise their subsequent physical elimination for financial reward.
• Three individuals detained in Moldova have been placed in custody for 30 days.

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