A district councilor from Ocnița was caught in the act of passing on US$30,000 bribe to the mayor of Ocnița town for defecting from the Party of Socialists to the Revival Party. According to the National Anticorruption Center, the searches at the head offices of the political party ended with the arrest of the councilor, IPN reports.

The Center also said that the searches were carried out within a case of corruption and money laundering. As from March 24, 2023 until present, the district councilor had tried to persuade the mayor of Ocnița town to leave the party of which he forms part and to join another party in exchange for 2 million lei in reward. Of this sum, 1 million lei was intended for him, while the other part of the amount was to be invested in infrastructure projects. On August 2, under the control of the NAC, a sum of US$30,000 was received and the councilor was caught red-handed.

To identify other accomplices, searches were also conducted at the offices of particular political parties in Chisinau and in Ocnița. Material relevant for the case was seized as a result.

The press reported that the arrested person is MP Irina Lozovan’s husband. Also, Irina Lozovan’s mate Alexandr Nesterovschi, who both defected from the Party of Socialists, said the searches were conducted after representatives of the Revival Party held a news conference in which they called on the people to sign for declaring the Party of Action and Solidarity unconstitutional.