President of the Judo Federation of Moldova Andrei Golban
Golban was awarded the “Ordinul Onoarei” (Order of Honor) and Postica was awarded the “Meritul Civic” (Medal for Civic Merit) on October 10 at the suggestion of the Ministry of Education and Research. Moldova’s Administrative Code provides for the possibility to appeal against the decree within 30 days of its publication.
The decision to deprive the president of the Judo Federation of the state award was taken after the publication of information about Andrei Golban’s criminal past. It is alleged that he was a member of a criminal group headed by businessman, criminal authority Grigory Karamalak. In 2016, Golban was detained on suspicion of blackmail and extortion. According to investigators, he together with a professional athlete and a former police officer extorted more than 13 million rubles ($200,000) from a Moldovan businessman working in Russia. The criminal case against a number of defendants, including Golban, continues. The suspect insists on his innocence.
The motives for depriving wrestling coach Grigori Postica of the Meritul Civic award are not reported.
