The Chisinau District Court postponed the hearing on Monday in the case of the former deputy general prosecutor, Ruslan Popov, who was accused alongside his wife, prosecutor Iulia Popov, on charges of illicit enrichment. The case was started following a series of investigations by the Center for Investigative Journalism from Moldova (CIJM) into the wealth and connections of the former prosecutor.

The meeting was postponed at the request of Calinici's defense attorney, a businessman accused of involvement in the alleged schemes of Ruslan Popov. The defense attorney informed the court that his client had undergone surgical intervention and would require two months for rehabilitation.

The president of the court panel, Vasilisa Muntean, announced that she would send a summons to the hospital where the defendant is hospitalized to determine how much time he needs for the recovery. The next hearing has been scheduled for March 13.

The hearing that was to take place on Monday was the only court hearing scheduled for February in the Popov case. The first meeting in the Popov case took place on July 15, 2022, and since then, 16 meetings have been scheduled, of which 9 have been postponed.

Ruslan Popov is accused of illicit enrichment. The prosecutor would be the final beneficiary of a modern orchard and a refrigerator for storing fruit registered in the name of his father, a simple pensioner from the village of Milestii Mici. The former prosecutor is also charged with committing eight episodes of forgery in the declaration of assets and personal interests.

Detained at the beginning of October 2021, Popov was in preventive detention for almost 30 days in the isolation cell of the National Anticorruption Center. Initially, the Chisinau Court ordered his placement under house arrest, but a few days later the Chisinau Court of Appeal granted the anti-corruption prosecutors' request to place him in the isolation cell. Later, the Chisinau Court of Appeal modified the trial court's decisions regarding Popov, extending his house arrest. The former prosecutor escaped the preventive measure on the eve of the winter holidays.

Prosecutor Popov was suspended from his position during the investigation, and in March 2021 he submitted a request for release from the system, which was accepted. On the other hand, Ruslan Popov pleads not guilty.