Gabriel Călin, Russian propaganda promoter, detained in Chișinău over campaign funding
The leader of the Christian-Social Union of Moldova (UCSM), Gabriel Călin, was detained on the morning of Tuesday, September 30, in a case regarding the illegal financing of political parties.
The Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) has confirmed the detention this morning of the leader of an extra-parliamentary political party. The investigation led by PCCOCS prosecutors focuses on the illegal financing of political parties and money laundering. The criminal prosecution is ongoing, and further details will be provided, according to PCCOCS spokesperson Emil Gaitur in a statement to Teleradio-Moldova.
It is worth noting that UCSM was one of the candidates in the parliamentary elections held on September 28.
According to Newsmaker, Gabriel Călin’s party allegedly received funds in cryptocurrencies that were transferred through several electronic wallets from a stock exchange based in the Russian Federation, which is banned in the EU and is believed to be financing the war in Ukraine.
Law enforcement searches are reportedly targeting several members of the same political formation.
UCSM - 0.12% in the elections
We note that former journalist Gabriel Călin is known to the public in the Republic of Moldova as a promoter of false narratives from Russian propaganda, as well as those of local activists and politicians supported by Moscow, such as Ilan Șor or Igor Dodon.
Among the examples of Călin's rhetoric, recorded by the StopFals platform, are the accusations of the current government that it sold Moldova to the Europeans and Americans, that it wants to draw it into war by following the "Ukrainian scenario" or that it is preparing the "invasion of the Transnistrian region".
He also spread falsehoods and speculations about the referendum on EU accession, the energy crisis and the introduction of visas for Moldovans in the EU and CIS countries.
In the parliamentary elections on September 28, Călin's party received 1,837 votes, or 0.12%, ranking last among the electoral competitors who ran in the elections.
