Moldovan police uncover $24 million voter bribery scheme allegedly linked to Russia
Viorel Černeuțanu, head of the General Inspectorate of the Moldovan Police, stated that over $24 million were allegedly transferred from Russia to Moldova via the "Promsvyazbank" app in October to bribe voters during elections and a referendum. Law enforcement points fingers at fugitive pro-Russian oligarch Ilan Shor for involvement in this scheme.
Reports indicate that in September, the transfer amount was already significant, reaching $15 million. The app was used to facilitate the implementation of bots in Telegram, leading to the shutdown of 97 such bots in October. Authorities revealed that the systems managed to register 138,000 Moldovan numbers.
"It is crucial for all our citizens to realize they are being drawn into an illicit scheme," Černeuțanu stressed.
Additionally, officials documented over 520 individuals associated with the voter bribery scheme. They now face up to three years in prison or hefty fines.
On October 20, Moldova held elections and a Euro-referendum. In this event, the majority of citizens backed incumbent President Maia Sandu and the move towards EU membership. However, the margin for EU membership approval was narrow; 50.3% supported amending the constitution for EU membership, while 49.7% opposed it.