General Prosecutor Ion Munteanu has raised concerns over electoral corruption, emphasizing that the scale of the phenomenon has reached alarming levels. Between October 20 and November 3, during the two rounds of the presidential election, 84 criminal cases for electoral offenses were initiated and are currently being handled by territorial prosecutor’s offices. In addition, other cases related to electoral crimes are being managed by specialized prosecution units, IPN reports.

The 84 criminal cases were initiated in the period between the two rounds of the election, from the day of the referendum to the day of the runoff. A single case can involve dozens of participants.

“Relating these criminal cases and the 140,000 individuals identified in this scheme to the number of voters in the Republic of Moldova, it is an enormous number that can influence the election results”, Ion Munteanu stated during the “Punctul pe Azi” show on TVR Moldova.

All searches conducted in connection with electoral corruption cases are authorized and coordinated with the prosecutor. “The Prosecutor General's Office makes frequent efforts to inform the public about the progress of these investigations. However, the activity of the Prosecutor's Office is often perceived as less prominent than that of other law enforcement agencies”, noted Ion Munteanu.

During parliamentary hearings on the subject of electoral fraud, the head of the General Police Inspectorate, Viorel Cernăuțeanu, revealed that to date, 140,000 individuals have been documented for involvement in electoral corruption offenses.