Dozens of searches that took place throughout Moldova on 22 September resulted in the detention of 74 people in a case of preparing riots in connection with the parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 September. The head of the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, Victor Furtune, the head of the police, Viorel Cerneutanu, and the head of the Information and Security Service, Alexandru Mustiatse, said this at a joint briefing, according to the Moldovan service of Radio Liberty.
Victor Furtune said that the prosecutor’s office started the investigation in June. Prosecutors found a group of people aged between 19 and 45 who travelled to Serbia for training led by Russian citizens and received about 400 euros for each trip. Among other things, the Russian instructors allegedly taught how to violate police lines, resist law enforcers, use rubber truncheons, handcuffs and even firearms in some cases.
A total of 111 people are named in the criminal case. As a result of 250 searches, law enforcers seized passports, SIM cards, money, bank cards of foreign countries, weapons and tents. 74 people were detained for 72 hours.
“Many people gave detailed reports: how they went to Serbia, about the organisers and instructors of the trips, etc.,” Furtune said.
Igor Dodon, one of the leaders of the Opposition “patriotic bloc” and chairman of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), said earlier on 22 September that police raided territorial organisations of his political force in the towns of Drochia and Riscani.
Dodon classifies these actions as “intimidation” and preparation of the current government “to cancel the elections” in case it loses on 28 September. The ruling Action and Solidarity (PAS) party has not yet responded to these accusations.
This is not the first series of searches in similar cases during September. On 8 September, 60 searches took place in the north of Molodava, 15 people were detained, and about 3 million lei (almost 29 million hryvnias) were seized in a case of illegal financing of political parties, vote-buying and money laundering.
On 16 September, during searches in Chisinau, prosecutors and anti-corruption officers seized more than 20 million lei (more than 190 million hryvnias) in a case of “aggravated” illegal financing of parties. The investigation is directed against persons linked to political parties, names law enforcers did not disclose.