Priests from the Republic of Moldova, recruited to influence the elections? Cernăuțeanu: they raised the money from the Transnistrian region
At least 20 priests from the Republic of Moldova are being investigated by the law enforcement officers, after they allegedly received money from the Russian Federation. They are suspected of having received monthly sums of up to 800 euros through the "PSB" application of the commercial bank "PromsveazyBank", which is under international sanctions, said the head of the General Police Inspectorate (IGP), Viorel Cernăuțeanu, in a show on TV8.
"It's no secret that at least 15-20 priests were documented by the police because they benefited from such mechanisms and went to the Transnistrian region to withdraw financial amounts from these accounts and cards."
The amounts transferred monthly varied between 500 and 800 euros. In some cases, the priests would have kept the entire amount for personal use, and in others, the funds would have been distributed further, either in full or in part, the head of the IGP added.
Contacted for a comment Bishop Ioan Moșneguțu did not answer our calls.
Since the beginning of the election campaign, several priests affiliated with the Metropolitanate of Moldova, which belongs to the Russian Patriarchate, have caused controversy in the public space after, during their sermons, they campaigned against the constitutional referendum or openly supported a candidate in the October 20 elections. According to the General Police Inspectorate (IGP), the respective candidate would benefit from direct support, including financial support, from the politician Ilan Șor, convicted in the "Bank Fraud" case and placed under international prosecution. The head of the IGP stated, previously, for Teleradio-Moldova, that similar incidents were reported in the municipality of Bălți and the district of Râșcani in the north of the country.
We remind you in this context that, recently, several priests from our country went on pilgrimages to the Russian Federation for alleged "instructions" and money, in exchange for promoting anti-European Union and anti-government messages. The Moscow Patriarchate, led by Patriarch Kirill, an open supporter of Russia's war in Ukraine, announced on the eve that Metropolitan Vladimir is in the Russian Federation on pilgrimages, where he has meetings with dozens of priests from our country who serve in Russia and the parishioners. The Metropolitanate of Moldova previously denied that the pilgrimages are political and condemned the involvement of priests in politics.
