Alexei Serebreanschi, colonel in reserve of the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) and former foreign espionage chief, said the appointment of the former SIS head Alexandr Esaulenco as ambassador with special missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration is not accidental. According to him, on the SIS’s Telegram channels it is said that this post is held on a temporary basis and precedes the appointment as Moldova’s ambassador to another country. Currently, all the posts of ambassador are occupied, except for that of ambassador to Azerbaijan. Esaulenco is to be named to this post in a month or two.
In a news conference at IPN, Alexei Serebreanschi said that accusations are systematically made against Esaulenco through Telegram channels over the disappearance of US$2 million following the Afghanistan plane crash. “Given that the law on the state secret provides that information that confirms a crime and the information of public interest cannot be classified, I decided to give this news conference so as to inform society about the role of the Dodon-Esaulenco duo in the disappearance of public funds,” stated the colonel in reserve.
“I want to remind that a Moldovan helicopter was downed in Afghanistan at the end of 2015. As a result of this incident, the crew was held hostage for over three years. The Government of the Republic of Moldova set up a crisis cell and entrusted the SIS with the task of identifying the detention place of the hostages and of negotiating the release of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. This way, the SIS launched the operation abroad so as to set free the citizens of Moldova. In that period, Esaulenco held the post of SIS vice director, but didn’t have legal powers related to foreign espionage, didn’t have access to foreign activities and information. Personally, he showed criminal interest in the secret files of the subdivision he led, in the foreign intelligence service and in the US$2 million that was to be recovered and transmitted to the Government of the Republic of Moldova,” stated Alexei Serebreanschi.
According to him, at that stage he didn’t know that Dodon was designing a plan for taking over control over the SIS by appointing his right-hand persons to key posts in the Service and that Dodon had a personal interest in the US$2 million. “After the hostages were set free, the Government of the Republic of Moldova was to recover the US$2 million. The SIS, together with other state institutions, was to return these public funds into the state budget. Today, through Telegram channels, including those managed by the SIS, Esaulenco is accused of approaching this money. We don’t assert this, but just wonder what Esaulenco did to recover the public funds in the period during which he held the post of SIS director,” said Alexei Serebreanschi.
The colonel in reserve called on the Prosecutor General’s Office to determine if the money was appropriated or if negligence was witnessed in the recovery of the funds. “Both of the cases represent serious crimes: considerable theft or misconduct in office. The PGO should take legal action and investigate Esaulenco’s actions. I also publicly call on Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Nicu Popescu and the fresh ambassador with special missions Esaulenco to establish what happened to the US$2 million reported by the press and Telegram channels? What did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the SIS do to recover those public funds?” the colonel in reserve asked rhetorically.
“Before sending such a person to Azerbaijan, it should be determined what Esaulenco did with these US$2 million and this is the task of the current administration of the SIS and the Prosecutor General’s Office,” stated Alexei Serebreanschi.
Note: IPN News Agency gives the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements of the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.
