Chisinau Airport's sniffer dogs are focusing on finding money that could indicate Russian interference in Moldovan politics. In May, customs officers discovered large amounts of money on passengers arriving via connecting flights from Moscow. Almost everyone had money, with amounts ranging from 2,000 to 7,000 euros. The patterns were suspicious, with certain flights like Moscow-Istanbul-Chisinau and Moscow-Yerevan-Chisinau being particularly frequent. The amounts were not illegal but suspicious, as people typically do not bring that much money from Moscow.
Police and prosecutors have seized $1.5m (£1.2m) of cash from a fugitive Moldovan oligarch, Ilan Shor, who is currently resident in Russia. The cash was part of an ongoing operation to buy political influence. The airport in Chisinau is on alert, with sniffer dogs on flights from high-risk routes and at least half of passengers pulled over for extra baggage scans ahead of two key votes this weekend.
It is time for two nations to decide their future roles in Europe.
Moldova's President Maia Sandu is running for re-election on a pro-EU platform, facing 10 other candidates who are openly sympathetic to Moscow. Voters will also have the chance to vote in a referendum on whether to enshrine Moldova's goal of EU accession in the constitution. The country has been in a battle over its political direction for decades, since Moldova gained independence from Moscow.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the East-West tug has intensified. President Sandu has shifted Moldova towards the West, identifying Vladimir Putin's Russia as a major security threat. The Kremlin denies any role in Chisinau politics, but officials accuse Russia of operating via proxies to disrupt and destabilize the country.
Moldova's chief anti-corruption prosecutor, Veronica Dragalin, has revealed a "brazen and open attempt to corrupt an election" in the country. She has uncovered a pyramid payments scheme run by Ilan Shor and his group, which is openly run from Russia. Dragalin's team has worked with police to uncover evidence gained through wiretaps, police infiltrators, and witnesses.
The foreign country is sending money to influence the election, with evidence gained through wiretaps, police infiltrators, and witnesses. Dragalin explains that the scheme has changed from making it look legitimate to flagrantly flaunting laws and influencing the decision to vote.
"Its main objective is to make the referendum fail."
Cash couriers were detected at the airport, leading to payments being channelled via a sanctioned Russian bank, PSB. By early October, 130,000 voters had received payment through this scheme, accounting for 10% of the active electorate.
In September alone, $15m (£12m) was transferred. Offering money or goods in return for votes is a crime with a possible five-year jail sentence. A new law made it an administrative offence to accept money. However, in one of Europe's poorest countries, it is easy to find willing recipients of cash.
Moldovan investigators cannot identify the source of funds paid into the PSB bank, whether it is Russian state money, private capital, or the cash Ilan Shor was convicted of stealing in Moldova.
However, Shor is open about his actions and aims, calling for a "firm NO" to the EU and promising monthly top-up payments of 5,000 Moldovan lei to pensioners.
He fled Moldova in 2019 and was sentenced in absentia for money laundering and embezzlement. His party was banned last year and he is under Western sanctions. Media companies, Telegram channels, and political groups have been blocked, but his message remains anti-EU and sympathetic to Moscow.
0 Comments