Romanian Police is set to hand over Alexandru Bălan, a former high-ranking officer of the Intelligence and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova investigated for attempted treason to Moldovan authorities, on Friday, April 24. Bălan will be handed over to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova at the Albița Border Crossing Point, following the decision issued by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, according to a press release from the Romanian Police. The 47-year-old man with dual Moldovan and Romanian citizenship was detained in Romania on September 9 and subsequently placed in pre-trial detention.
He is investigated for attempted treason by transmitting state secret information, in continuous form, after disclosing state secrets to KGB officers from Belarus. According to the Romanian prosecutors, between 2024 and 2025, the suspect held two meetings, both in Budapest, Hungary, with information officers of the State Security Committee - KGB in the Republic of Belarus. Investigators said there is reasonable suspicion that these meetings were held for the purpose of transmitting instructions and making payments for the services provided.
Bălan initially collaborated with the intelligence service of the Russian Federation. Only later would he come to collaborate with Belarusian intelligence services, which can operate more easily on the territory of the European Union, Aside from Moldova, Bălan’s actions “likely endangered the national security of Romania,” according to a press release from the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, or DIICOT. The investigation, carried out under the aegis of EUROJUST, benefited from the support of intelligence services from Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, as well as prosecutors from Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the Republic of Moldova.
The decision to extradite the former intelligence official was made by the Bucharest Court of Appeal on April 18. He is set to serve 1 year and 6 months of imprisonment imposed by the Chișinău District Court (Buiucani headquarters), dated April 15, for attempted disclosure of state secrets. Bălan consented to the extradition.
According to the press in Chișinău, the sentence was pronounced after the first hearing in the case, in which Bălan participated online, being under house arrest in Romania. The defendant admitted his guilt, requesting that the case be examined under a simplified procedure. radu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)