STRATEGY OF REGAINING FUNDS STOLEN FROM THREE BANKS HAS POLITICAL CHARACTER - EXPERTS

The Center for Policies and Reforms (CPR) conducted a research of efforts, put for returning the financial means, stolen within the bank fraud.

The results of the research say that the Strategy for returning the money, stolen from the Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala and Unibank, presented by the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), the National Anti-Corruption Center (NACC) and the Agency for Criminal Asset Recovering, has first of all a political character.

The CPR experts concluded that the strategy publication is a good sign, but the fact that it is directed to protection of those in power is raising concern, respectively questions appear about the political engagement of law enforcement institutions.

“Besides, the very sum law enforcement intend to recover looks more than modest – 10.7 billion lei, moreover it is not just about the returning of the money stolen from three banks, but also the funds illegally salted down in 2017-2014”, the research says.

According to experts, the volume of money to be return should be raised, as only the NBM provided over 1 billion of dollars for supporting the three problematic banks.

“The strategy says nothing about the investigation of US$22 billion, laundered from Russia through Moldova, which again creates suspicion about interested persons in the very republic. Besides, the strategy does not include the results of the Kroll investigation”, the research says.

According to experts, the European Union has repeatedly proposed Moldovan authorities to initiate the fulfillment of the 18th provision of the Association Agreement, according to which an international investigation may be started and if Moldova keeps ignoring this fact, the EU may undertake the initiative.