The Moldovan police discovered a $39-million vote-buying scam, allegedly led and financed by the oligarch Ilan Schor, involving Russian bank accounts, ahead of recent elections.
RFE/RL Moldovan Service reports that Moldovan police revealed a massive vote buying scheme orchestrated by convicted criminal Ilan Sor. The scheme involved $39 million worth of transfers to influence recent election results.
Moldova is located between Ukraine, NATO and EU member Romania. Transnistria is a region of Moldova that the Moldovan government does not control. Russian troops have been there since the early 1990s. Russia continues to exploit democracy flaws to bring its agents into power and topple Moldova’s pro EU authorities.
The referendum was held alongside the presidential election, where incumbent Maia Sandu won 42.5% of the vote–short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff–and will face pro-Moscow ex-Prosecutor-General Alexandr Stoianoglo in a decisive runoff on 3 November.
Viorel Cerneteanu, the chief of police in Moldova, told a press conference held on 25 October in Chisinau that investigators had discovered approximately 1 million bank transfers made to accounts of Moldovan citizens through Promsvyazbank Russia (PSB) between September and October.
Cernauteanu claims that about 500 people were fined for “passive election corruption”. The investigation found that PSB, which is currently under international sanctions due to its support of Russia’s war against Ukraine, transferred $15 millions in September, and an additional $24 millions in October.
The scheme allegedly targeted the referendum on European Union integration and the first round presidential elections held on the 20th October. Maia Sandu, the president of Romania, claimed that “criminal group” tried to buy up to 300.000 votes.
Cernauteanu said that investigators identified 138,000 Moldovans who received the transfers. However, the actual number may be higher because some funds were redistributed to multiple individuals.
The police investigation revealed money transfers started as early as April. Funds were received either via PSB or by couriers who made direct payments.
Sor, a Moldovan national who is also a Russian citizen and an Israeli citizen, was sentenced to 15 years of prison in absentia in April 2023 by a Moldovan Court for a $1 Billion bank fraud. It is believed that Sor may be in Russia.
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