Moldova investigates $39 million in electoral corruption
In the last two months, 39 million dollars have been transferred from Russia to the Republic of Moldova in an effort to corrupt voters, declared today the head of the General Inspectorate of Police (IGP), Viorel Cernăuțeanu, at a briefing.
According to Cernăuțeanu, the network led by oligarch Ilan Șor, who was convicted in the "Bank Fraud" case, transferred over 24 million dollars in October alone to bribe voters. The money was introduced into the country via the PSB application, which is owned by the Russian bank “Promsvyazbank,” which is currently under international sanctions.
Cernăuțeanu stated that this electoral corruption scheme began in April of this year, and to date, approximately 138,000 transfers from the Russian Federation have been documented. Citizens were guided by Telegram bots on how to access the transferred funds.
He warned that the scale of the phenomenon is much larger than initially thought, as the money would benefit not only the individual to whose account it was transferred but also their family members. This electoral corruption scheme has also been denounced by President Maia Sandu, who is running for re-election.
After the results of the elections on October 20, Sandu accused Russia of attempting to buy over 300 votes in the first round through criminal organisations. The head of the IGP stated today that the actual number could exceed that announced by Maia Sandu; however, he noted that "it is premature" to announce an exact figure at this stage.
Viorel Cernăuțeanu also announced that, in addition to the transfers made via the PSB system, the corruption of voters continues through other methods, including couriers. In this context, on Wednesday, searches were conducted in a district in northern Moldova.
The raids targeted individuals who were allegedly involved in the physical payment of voters for the first round of voting and the preparation for the second round. Currently, over 520 individuals are under investigation by law enforcement.
“An individual with a minor role in this scheme agreed to cooperate with the investigation. The coordinator in that district managed to distribute the money to 36 individuals, but his plan was to reach over 300 individuals, which he was unable to complete,” announced the head of the IGP.
It was specified that after the elections on October 20, the authorities in the Republic of Moldova announced that they are focusing on combating electoral corruption and preventing such offences in future elections. The Minister of Justice, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, called the law enforcement agencies – police, prosecutor's office, and courts – the day before to better coordinate their efforts to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
