The assets held by the Russian corporation ODK at the Topaz factory in Chisinau have been frozen by the Tax Service of the Republic of Moldova. The measure targets both the 97.72% stake in the company owned by ODK through intermediaries, and the minority shares of other shareholders, including a Moldovan businessman who could take over control of the company, reports IPN.
The decision of the authorities comes against the backdrop of a fight for control over Topaz, previously documented by reporters from RISE Moldova. According to the investigation, the factory in Chisinau, part of a Russian military industry corporation under international sanctions, has become the subject of disputes between local businessmen, former officials from separatist structures, and individuals with connections in the Transnistrian region.
Topaz manages, among other things, a plot of over 3.5 hectares in a strategic area of the capital, valued in 2021 at approximately 145 million lei. Attempts to change the company’s shareholders or leadership have sparked controversy and have been blocked by authorities, who refused to register the changes citing the lack of necessary approvals.
According to the data presented by RISE Moldova, ODK has organized several auctions in Moscow over the past two years for the sale of the majority share package of Topaz, but the transactions were not officially recognized in Chisinau. Although the winner of the last auction, Yuksel Maxim Onur, was announced in the Russian press, information about the completion of the sale is missing, and the official registers in Moldova still show that ODK continues to control the company.
In parallel, the authorities have suspended ODK’s voting rights within Topaz and blocked any attempt to change the leadership until the legal situation is clarified. The Public Services Agency rejected the registration requests of the new administrators, citing the lack of approval from the Council for the Promotion of National Importance Investment Projects, an approval necessary in the case of companies considered of strategic interest.
Against the backdrop of these disputes, minority shareholders, who collectively own only 2.28% of the company, are trying to take control of the factory. Among them is the businessman.
According to RISE Moldova’s investigation, the situation at Topaz remains unclear and official data on the company’s ownership structure is contradictory, in the context of the factory having direct ties to the Russian military sector and being subject to international sanctions.
