The Supreme Court of Justice rejected the request of the defenders of the couple of prosecutors Ruslan and Iulia Popov to transfer the trial of the criminal case from the Chisinau District Court to another court of equal rank. The two are accused of illicit enrichment and falsification of public documents following the revelations made by the reporters of the Center for Investigative Journalism. CIJM demonstrated step by step, various schemes by which the Popa couple camouflaged their true wealth.

The reason for the request to relocate the case would be the fact that the alleged crimes were committed in the territorial area of ​​the Hîncești court. Either the lawyers stated that witnesses over 70 years of age are to be heard in the criminal case, and their arrival to Chisinau is problematic. At the same time, they mentioned that the visit on October 31, 2022, of the interim Prosecutor General, Ion Munteanu to the Chisinau Court, would generate suspicions regarding the independence and impartiality of the judges when examining the file.

Examining the relocation request, the Criminal Board considered that it should be rejected, for the following reasons.

"By art. 46 para. (1) Code of criminal procedure, the Supreme Court of Justice transfers the trial of a criminal case from the competent court to another court of equal rank only in case it can achieve its objective, quick, complete resolution, and ensure the normal development of the process. According to art. 46 para. (2) Criminal Procedure Code, the relocation of the case may be requested by the president of the court or by one of the parties, and by the provisions of art. 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the request for relocation submitted by the parties must be motivated, and the documents on which the request is based are attached to it by the party requesting the relocation," explained the supreme court.

Prosecutor Iulia Popova was suspended from her position at the end of June and is accused, just like her husband, of illicit enrichment and falsification of public documents, in the criminal case started following the publication of several investigations by the Center for Investigative Journalism from Moldova (CIJM) about the hidden assets of the family of the two prosecutors.

Ruslan Popov explained the origin of the property by the fact that he was helped by his in-laws from Ukraine. The CIJM team traveled to Iulia Popov's hometown and found that her parents led a modest lifestyle.