The investigation of the theft of the billion from the Moldovan banking system must be assisted by international experts because there are no sufficient forces in Moldova, ex-deputy head of the National Anticorruption Center’s Money Laundering Combating Division Mihail Gofman stated in a news conference in Washington, the U.S., IPN reports.
“For now, nobody deals with this theft, even if I explained how this should be investigated. What was done until now represents fragments of a general picture,” stated Gofman.
In the news conference, the ex-employee of the National Anticorruption Center confirmed that the theft of the century was staged by Sergey Yaralov, but this was directed by a number of influential persons. He confirmed again that the first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party Vladimir Plahotniuc was the main beneficiary of the banking frauds, followed by ex-Premier Vlad Filat.
In the program “Interpol” on TV7 channel earlier the same day, Mihail Gofman said through Skype that he went to the U.S. on his own initiative. “If I’m not heard at home, at least someone in the U.S. will help me. I left by myself. The press in the U.S. is interested in what I will say. There is the IMF that gave money to the Republic of Moldova and there is the money of the American taxpayers,” he stated.
Gofman denied anticorruption prosecutors’ accusations that he refuses to present himself in Moldova to make statements. He noted that he contacted Adriana Betisor from the U.S. and assured her that he would appear at the Prosecutor’s Office in ten days.
This also referred to the case of laundering of over US$18 billion that came from Russia though Moldovan commercial banks. “Vlad Plahotniuc and Veaceslav Platon are the Moldovans who benefitted from this transaction, alongside influential persons from the Russian Federation, of the so-called Magnitsky List,” stated Gofman.
At the end of the program, Mihail Gofman urged host Natalia Morari to protect herself from possible dangers to life given her programs where she details the theft of the billion. For her part, Natalia Morari said she received similar warnings from sources from a state institution that follows her in secret for the same reason, but didn’t specify the institution and didn’t give names.
