More than 70 searches were carried out in a number of localities of Moldova on October 4 within criminal cases started over illegal financing of political parties. It was established that those involved in these schemes stopped using cash and started to apply a new mechanism for transmitting money, namely Pyypl cards and digital technologies. The ‘dirty’ money comes from abroad, but the country was not specified, IPN reports.

In a news conference, the head of the General Police Inspectorate Viorel Cernăuțeanu said that at the beginning of September, a Moldovan man and two foreigners tried to introduce over 1,970 bank cards into the country. It was determined that these cards were to be distributed to key figures of a party involved in the local elections, which got financing from outside.

“All those who came into the focus of the law enforcement agencies and have been investigated were provided with such bank cards, with a mobile telephone and a tablet PC. The application installed on these devices was used to operate these money transfers,” stated Viorel Cernăuțeanu. According to him, during Wednesday’s searches, the given cards, mobile phones and tablets were seized.

The head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office Veronica Dragalin said the money comes from abroad, but she didn’t specify the country. Asked if the searches covered the Chance Party, the APO chief noted that a number of parties are involved. “Yesterday’s activities covered not one party, but several parties. The ties with the party that was declared unconstitutional, the Shor Party, is what some of these parties have in common,” stated Veronica Dragalin.

Alexandr Pînzari, vice director of the National Anticorruption Center, said the persons who were the subjects of Wednesday’s searches are now investigated outside remand detention. All the cards were seized and actions are being taken together with the Service for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering and the National Bank of Moldova.