CHISINAU, Apr 30 Former MP Romanian Cristian Riza was expelled from Moldova for preparing for an attempted coup, the authorities decided that he poses a threat to state security, Ziarul de Garda reports, citing the Moldovan General Inspectorate for Migration.
The press service of the Migration Inspectorate under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova on Friday announced the extradition of Rizi, who was convicted in his homeland for money laundering and the mercenary use of an influential position. He was declared persona non grata for 15 years.
«It has been established that Romanian citizen Riza Christian, born on April 12, 1969, prepared and carried out actions aimed at forcibly changing the constitutional order, undermining or infringing on the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country, activities with elements of a criminal nature, actions qualified as representing a particular danger to national security,» Risi's expulsion decision, published by the newspaper, reads.
The document also states that the Romanian ex-deputy regularly violated the provisions of the Code of Offenses of Moldova. Several civil lawsuits were initiated against him in the republic for interfering with the private lives of individuals and damaging honor, dignity and professional reputation. All this together led to the decision to expel Risi.
Rizia, a former member of parliament from the Social Democratic Party, has been put on the international wanted list by the Romanian authorities after he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison in his homeland for money laundering and profiteering from influence. Prior to the final verdict in 2017, Rizia fled to Moldova, where he received refugee status. At the end of 2020, the Romanian Ministry of Justice turned to the Moldovan authorities with a request to extradite the former politician, while Chisinau refused to extradite him, since Risi had Moldovan citizenship.
In December 2020, the current president, Igor Dodon, deprived him of his citizenship, and Rizya was later arrested. In May 2021, Rizia was released, he applied to the court to obtain the restoration of citizenship, but in March 2023 he was refused by the Supreme Court of Justice of Moldova.