Ex-Premier Vlad Filat said the concession of the Chisinau International Airport was a necessary step and this wasn’t designed to lead to what it led and the problem was and remains who and in what conditions conceded the airport. According to the former Prime Minister, Ilan Shor was an interface in this case, whereas Vlad Plahotniuc has been the main beneficiary of the scheme from the start. In another development, the former leader of the PLDM said that he became different while in jail and his thoughts now cover long-term periods. The next steps he will take when he is set free when he is set free will be aimed at rehabilitating himself. “My subsequent steps will be definitely based on a different approach,” he stated.
Prosecutors announced they have seized and examined CCTV footage from Chisinau International Airport as part of an investigation opened against MP Ilan Shor, on trial in the $1B bank fraud case, who appears to have sneaked out of the country in breach of bail conditions. The businessman-turned-politician is believed to have left the country some time between June 14 and 17, bypassing border checks and customs formalities. Illegal crossing of the Moldovan border is a criminal offense punishable by a fine of up to $2.215, or up to 200 hours of community service, or up to 2 years in prison.
Under Secretary for Political Affairs of the United State Department of State David Hale said the current moment is historical for the Republic of Moldova and for those who care about democracy and common values. “We secured US$ 1.5 billion in financial support for the Republic of Moldova and are very proud of this. There are many things to be done here and these should be based on the reform agenda. This is the basis that enables us to change things and we are committed to the cause. I would encourage the Moldovans to continue on this path and the U.S. and the others will be there to help them,” stated David Hale.
The chairman of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the bank fraud Alexandru Slusari said the representatives of Kroll are disappointed with the work done by the Moldovan investigation bodies. “In the meeting we had with them, they said this frankly. This means that nothing was done here during four years to recover this money. They said that if steps had been taken on warm trails in 2015 and this money recovery mechanism has been used, a significant amount of money would have been recovered (...) It was sabotage on the part of the previous government,” stated Alexandru Slusari.
The meeting where the issuing of state guarantees for providing emergency loans by the National Bank of Moldova to the three banks involved in the bank fraud, even if the state didn’t manage the financial institutions, was discussed was initiated by Vladimir Plahotniuc, who then served as first deputy president of the Democratic Party, supported by Vlad Filat, then leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. As a result of the hearings held by the bank fraud inquiry commission on July 16, which involved former member of the Board of Banca de Economii (BEM) Victor Bodiu and ex-Parliament Speaker Igor Corman, it was established that at that meeting , Vladimir Plahotniuc, supported by Vlad Filat, tried to persuade those attending that securities should be issued to cover the emergency loans that were to be provided by the central bank to Banca de Economii, Banca Socială and Unibank. “Some 80% of the robbed bank funds were stolen from the three banks between the start and the end of November 2014, following the issuing of state guarantees. After these guarantees were secured by the Leancă Government, the Shor group withdrew 13.54 billion lei from the three banks through Banca Socială,” stated the commision’s chairman Alexandru Slusari.
The Criminal Investigative Task Force working the $1B bank fraud case will be extended, as decided by acting Prosecutor General Igor Popa, following an evaluation of the progress made and discussions with development partners. Under the decision, the Task Force will be supplemented with officers from the Ministry of the Interior, of the Security and Intelligence Service, judicial experts, and accountants from the National Bank and the National Commission for Financial Markets. The Prosecutor General’s Office plans to recover 13.34 billion lei, the equivalent of the bailout loans issued to the now defunct Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala and Unibank. Some 2.2 billion lei has been recovered so far, including 1.2 billion lei from the sale of the defunct bank’s assets.
Victor Micu has been dismissed as president of the High Council of the Judiciary (CSM) by the votes of nine out of ten members attending the CSM meeting. The dismissal proposal, which came from CSM member Petru Moraru, wasn’t originally on the order of the day. Moraru argued that Micu went on vacation in a difficult period for the judiciary, which “was a wrong thing to do.” Commenting on his dismissal, Micu said he has always defended the independence of the judicial system, adding that he will remain a CSM member to further contribute to justice.
The President of Moldova will be able to name an acting prosecutor general until a contest is held, at the suggestion of the Superior Council of Prosecutors, and will then appoint the selected candidate to the post by presidential decree. On July 16, Parliament agreed a bill that interprets provisions of the law on the prosecution service after giving it a first reading.
Ion Dron, president of the NGO “Center of Initiatives and Monitoring of Public Authorities”, calls on entrepreneurs to report and stand up against fraudulent schemes perpetrated with the help of state institutions. “This criminal pyramid of dispossessing entrepreneurs of assets and businesses that exists in Moldova must be uprooted,” he told a press conference. “These schemes have become permanent. Those involved, the masterminds of these schemes have been encouraged until recently, but I hope they will not be around for too long anymore, as the government changed”.
Lawyer Dumitru Pavel, university professor Dorin Cimil and presidential aide Maxim Lebedinschi have been confirmed by Parliament to the Central Electoral Commission on July 16. The CEC consists of nine members. One member is nominated by the President and eight members are chosen by Parliament by respecting the proportional representation of the majority and the opposition.
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