Smirnov's son faces more criminal charges

Oleg Smirnov, the son of Transnistria's leader Igor Smirnov, faces another set of criminal proceedings after an inspection of his Russia-based firms indicated that they might have been used to siphon off money from Russian aid to the breakaway region, according to the online version of the Russian publication Kommersant. A member of the investigation committee who spoke on condition of anonymity said three firms – Torg-invest, Rus-invest and Elantra – were used to launder money stolen from Transnistria. “The exact amounts and their origin are to be yet established”. Last month, the investigation committee announced the initiation of criminal proceedings against Oleg Smirnov and Oleg Brizitski on suspicion that they embezzled roughly 160 million Russian rubles ($5.25 million) of money offered by Russia in humanitarian aid to the Transnistrian region. Oleg Smirnov was summoned to appear before investigators on November 2 but he didn't comply. It is believed that he and his wife Marina are in Cyprus now. “As soon as he returns to Russia, the police will be instructed to bring him before investigators by force”, said the source quoted by Kommersant. Oleg Smirnov is not the only relative of the Transnistrian leader who's got in trouble. Igor Smirnov's daughter-in-law Marina, who chairs a regional branch of the Spravedlivaya Rossia (“Just Russia”) Party, saw her candidacy for the upcoming Duma elections challenged by the Central Election Committee, which found that she held concomitantly three nationalities, in violation of the Russian law. Whether by accident or design, the problems for Igor Smirnov's relatives started after he refused to comply with Moscow's recommendations to abstain from seeking a fifth term in the upcoming so-called presidential elections in Transnistria. High-ranking Russian officials, including Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Naryshkin and Presidential Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev, advised Igor Smirnov to retire in exchange for a guarantee covering himself, his family and property. However he ignored the proposal and registered as a candidate for the elections slated for December 11. In defying the Kremlin, Igor Smirnov declared it was paramount to preserve “Transnistria's statehood”. “Anyone who will attempt, by any means, to change the attitude of our people will fail”. Experts believe Smirnov's odds of winning the elections are rather high. “Smirnov is a very experienced and quite strong man. If he wins, it is unlikely Russia will stage a total blockade against Transnistria. I think he will achieve his goal and then will place Russia before an accomplished fact”, said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief at “Russia in Global Affairs” magazine. At the same time, he added that Russia still had a few cards against the Transnistrian leader, including the region's huge debt of $2.7 billion owed for gas.