$39 million transferred from Russia to bribe Moldovan voters - police

Viorel Cerneucanu, the head of the Moldovan National Police, said this, according to NewsMaker.

According to the investigation, in October, more than $24 million was transferred from Russia to Moldova through the Promzvyazokbank app.

According to Cerneucanu, the scheme to bribe voters by sending money through Promsvyazokbank began in late spring this year, but the number of transfers increased in the fall before the election.

The police representative noted that in September the amount of transfers was $15 million, while now it has already reached $39 million. He emphasized that in October alone, more than $24 million in transfers were recorded from Russia.

At the same time, the police claim that fugitive Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor is involved in this scheme.

Law enforcement officials explain that people were helped to install bots on Telegram through the Promzvyazokbank app. In particular, 97 such bots were shut down in October. According to police, 138,000 numbers from Moldova have registered in the system.

So far, the Moldovan police have documented information on 520 people involved in the voter bribery scheme: they face up to 3 years in prison or a fine.

• On October 20, 2024, Moldova held a national referendum on EU accession and presidential elections. Incumbent President Maia Sandu and former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo advanced to the second round of the election, and the referendum was won by supporters of EU accession won the referendum.
• The spokesperson for the European Union's foreign policy service, Peter Stano, said that the first round of elections in Moldova was held in the context of unprecedented Russian interference.
• On October 22, it was reported that Moldovan law enforcement agencies were investigating more than 400 cases of vote buying, with suspects facing fines of up to 37,500 lei (over $2,000).