Getty ImagesIlan Shor – Pictured while running for election in 2019 – Flees the country before being sentenced in absentia on charges of money laundering and embezzlement
Sniper dogs at Chisinau airport have been working even harder in recent months, looking for money that could be evidence of Russian interference in Moldova’s politics.
Ami, a black retriever, sniffs in all directions every suitcase that rolls into the baggage claim belt. When she discovers the cash, she freezes. Back in May, she was doing it often.
That’s when customs officials began discovering large sums of money from passengers arriving on connecting flights from Moscow. People who had never left Moldova before were returning home with bundles of money from a few days in Russia.
“Almost everyone had money: 2,000, 3,000, 7,000 euros,” recalls Ruslan Alexandrov, head of customs at Chisinau Airport. Although the amounts themselves were not illegal, the pattern was suspicious.
“There were specific flights such as Moscow-Istanbul-Chisinau and Moscow-Yerevan-Chisinau,” explains the customs chief. “Normally people with that much money don’t come. They don’t come from Moscow.”
Matthew GoddardAmi working at Chisinau Airport
Police and prosecutors then began seizing the cash. They say they scooped $1.5 million (£1.2 million) in one day alone. No one asked for a refund.
Authorities believe the cash mule was part of a larger ongoing operation to buy political influence run by fugitive Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor. He was convicted of serious fraud in Chisinau and currently resides in Russia, which has no plans to extradite him.
The capital’s airports are on high alert ahead of two crucial votes this weekend. Flights from all “high-risk” routes will be greeted by sniffer dogs and at least half of passengers will be stopped for excess baggage checks.
On Sunday, President Maia Sandu ran for re-election on a staunchly pro-EU platform, with 10 other candidates voicing her opposition. Many are openly sympathetic to Moscow. Some people see Moldova as a “bridge.”
Voters can also vote in a referendum on whether Moldova’s goal of joining the EU should be enshrined in the constitution. Indeed, accession negotiations have already begun, but the country has been at war over its political direction for decades, ever since Moldova gained independence from Moscow following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this conflict between East and West has intensified. President Sandu, a former World Bank economist, was first elected on a promise to root out corruption, but has since steered Moldova more sharply toward the West. She began to openly identify President Vladimir Putin’s Russia as a major security threat.
The Kremlin denies playing any role in Chisinau’s politics, but officials accuse Russia of using proxies to disrupt and destabilize the country.
Matthew Goddard
President Maia Sandu (right) is running for re-election
“I have never seen such a brazen and open attempt to corrupt an election anywhere else,” Veronica Dragalin, Moldova’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor, said in her office in Chisinau this week.
Born in Moldova, she spent most of her life in the United States, most recently working as a prosecutor in Los Angeles, before returning to work in a small office on the fifth floor of a Soviet-era block with a broken elevator.
Her team, working with police, uncovered a rat payment scheme openly operated in Russia by Ilan Shor and his group.
“We’re talking about foreign countries sending money to try to influence elections,” Dragalin elaborates. She details evidence obtained through wiretaps, undercover police officers and witnesses, some of which her office has made public.
“Initially, they tried to make it look legal. Now it’s like they’re openly flaunting all the laws… (and) openly influencing voting decisions,” prosecutors said. the official says.
“The main goal is to make the referendum fail.”
According to her team, payments were now made through a licensed Russian bank, PSB, after a cash courier was spotted at the airport and the route became more difficult.
As of early October, 130,000 voters had received benefits through the system, or about 10% of eligible voters, said police chief Viorel Chernouteanu.
“$15m (£12m) was transferred in September alone,” he told me, explaining how he was able to trace the funds and recipients as he provided personal data to open a bank account. explained.
Offering money or goods in exchange for a vote is a crime punishable by five years in prison. Last month, a new law also made accepting money an administrative crime.
But in one of Europe’s poorest countries, it’s not difficult to find someone willing to accept cash.
Matthew Goddard
Veronica Dragalin, Moldova’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor
Moldovan investigators admit they cannot determine the source of the funds paid to PSB Bank – whether it was Russian state money, private capital or Iran, which was convicted of theft in Moldova.・Is it defendant Scholl’s cash?
However, he himself is very open about his actions and objectives.
In a typical recent post on TikTok, Scholl called for a “firm no” from the EU. He asked his followers to choose “the president I have chosen as the person I would like to work with.”
In return, he promised to pay pensioners an additional 5,000 Moldovan lei, or about 200 pounds, each month.
Scholl fled Moldova in 2019 and was subsequently sentenced in absentia on charges of money laundering and embezzlement. Last year, he was banned from party activities and also faced sanctions from Western countries for his alleged “campaign of negative influence” against Russia.
Media companies, Telegram channels and various political groups associated with him have all been blocked. But his anti-EU, Moscow-sympathetic message continues to permeate.
Some still accept it as well as cash.
Matthew Goddard
Deputy Governor Gagauzia openly spoke of his disdain for the EU
Ilya Uzun is also a big fan.
The deputy governor of Gagauzia, a small autonomous region in southern Moldova, also happens to admire Russian President Vladimir Putin. He told me it’s because he likes strong leaders who think “the country comes first.”
Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine has changed nothing in that regard.
He praises former US President Donald Trump for the same reasons, but his disdain for the EU focuses primarily on LGBT rights, which he vehemently opposes.
Later, when passersby in the regional capital Komrat were asked about the EU referendum, several said they would vote “no” to prevent a “gay parade” from their town.
Matthew Goddard
Pro-Russian Victory Party sign in Komrat, Gagauzia
Pro-Russian views and Kremlin-led discourse have always been strong in Gagauzia, and many people still watch Russian state TV channels despite the state broadcast ban.
Scholl has been investing heavily here recently. The lieutenant governor has repeatedly referred to him as “our political leader” and dismissed the conviction as if it were political.
“If you say bad things about Ilan Shor here, people will spit on you!” Uzun said as he drove down Lenin Street, in front of a slightly dirty but intact statue of the Russian revolutionary. I announced while passing by.
Many of the store signs in the local non-Gagauz language are in Russian.
We are told that Scholl is paying top-up pensions to 30,000 people in the region and repaving around 50 kilometers (31 miles) of roads between remote villages.
“Everything he does is for the people,” enthuses Uzun.
Anti-corruption prosecutors later clarified that using donations for social spending is not a crime. However, channeling Shor’s funds to political parties is a crime, and Uzun’s boss, regional governor Evgenia Gutul, was charged with the crime.
After a while, you will arrive at an amusement park for children.
“Look at Gagauziyaland, it’s beautiful!” Uzun’s eyes light up as he leads the way into a brand new deserted park under a giant rainbow.
Matthew Goddard
Gagauziyaland, October 2024
The wind was harsh, and both the mini dragon roller coaster and merry-go-round we were looking at stood still and empty. But Uzun insists that the people of Gagauzia will vote “as the shawl says”, not because of the money, but because they trust him.
“There are rumors going around that he’s part of the Kremlin destabilizing Moldova, but that’s absolutely not true. This is the truth. Here’s what you see,” he froze. I waved towards the amusement park.
EPA
Women in traditional Moldovan costumes welcomed President Maia Sandu at an election event on Friday.
On Friday, Moldova’s election campaign reached its climax.
Maia Sandu met for her final rally in the small town of Telenesti, where women in traditional costumes sang and supporters applauded as she passed.
She did not take part in the election debates and did not wish to be interviewed by the BBC. But Sandu spoke to hundreds of people through a microphone, urging Moldovans to vote for her and the EU as the best path to peace.
“This was a very difficult campaign with a lot of lies and dirty money,” she said, urging voters to “keep our country out of harm’s way” and for her opponents to “keep Moldova off the path of Europe.” asked to prevent it.
Over the years, the road has been bumpy, with many detours. Nevertheless, Moldova has already made a decision and started accession negotiations with the EU.
The referendum that Sandu initiated to strengthen his goals and shore up his own support has now become a dangerous political move.
It appears the presidential vote isn’t the only vote she has to worry about Sunday.
