The Moldovan police said it discovered transactions “in the order of millions of lei” towards Șansă/Chance Party, most of which are said to originate in Russia. “The money was intended for buying votes and manipulating the elections”, Chief of Moldovan Police Viorel Cernăuțeanu told a news conference on Friday.

Searches conducted on Thursday in multiple locations in 19 districts of the country targeted people affiliated with the Șansă Party. The funds, according to Cernăuțeanu, were administered by the “Shor criminal group”.

The party maintains records of individual contributions, but Cernăuțeanu says that evidence collected during the searches demonstrates that “they are all but a sham, a cover-up and a form of laundering money through these contributors”.

There is also evidence, Cernăuțeanu added, that signatures in support of candidates appear to have been falsified.

Three unnamed suspects were arrested during Thursday’s searches, while a number of others are cooperating with the investigation.