New arrests in Chisinau and Orhei electoral corruption cases
Recent developments regarding the parliamentary elections have led to detentions and the seizure of funds. The National Anticorruption Center (CNA) reported the detention of an individual following searches conducted on the morning of September 22. This action is part of a criminal investigation into the illegal financing of political parties, money laundering, and voter corruption, which occurred under aggravating circumstances.
The searches were conducted in Chisinau, Orhei, and in the southern part of the country. Decision-makers, members, and supporters of political parties are being investigated for allegedly recruiting voters to persuade them to vote for certain parties in the parliamentary elections on September 28, in exchange for promised remuneration.
The activities were allegedly coordinated through various applications, including multiple accounts on the Telegram platform.
The CNA states that the scheme involves financing from illicit sources, utilising bank accounts and electronic wallets, including those located outside the country.
The authorities mention that, following the searches, significant amounts of money in different currencies were detected and seized, without specifying the exact amount. Electronic information storage devices, draft documents and other evidence relevant to the investigation were also seized.
The detained person will be placed in the CNA's criminal investigation isolator.
Since the beginning of September, law enforcement officers have conducted hundreds of searches throughout the Republic of Moldova in connection with electoral corruption cases. On September 18, over 50 searches were carried out targeting the offices of a political party, related to suspicions of money laundering, voter corruption, and illegal financing of political parties. Last week, the CNA seized over 20 million lei in illicit party financing.
In the context of increasingly frequent attempts to undermine the integrity of the vote in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the authorities encourage citizens to be vigilant and report cases related to electoral corruption.
The CNA reminds that two hotlines have been activated, to which cases of electoral corruption, illegal party financing, attempts to influence the vote, and other suspicious actions in the electoral context can be reported.
The CNA hotline: +373 78 710 116 operates 24/7 and can be accessed from outside the country, via audio/video calls, SMS and the Viber, Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp applications.
The National Anticorruption Line – 0800 55555, is free of charge from within the Republic of Moldova.
