​PROSECUTION SERVICE SAYS PLAHOTNIUC’S ASSASSINATION WAS ORDERED BY ‘BOLGAR’

The assassination of the Chairman of the Democratic Party, the “executive coordinator” of the Moldovan ruling coalition Vlad Plahotniuc was ordered by businessman Grigorii Karamalak nicknamed “Bolgar”, believes the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Moldova.

Vitalie Busuioc, PGO Acting Deputy Director for Combating Organized Crime and for Special Cases, told a news conference on Thursday that out of the 8 suspects arrested here on April 7 within the framework of the attempted murder case, some men have refused to collaborate with the investigation team, but some are already giving evidence.

At the news conference, Busuioc demonstrated a video record of the interrogation of one of the defendants, who stated that the instructions to prepare the murder of Vlad Plahotniuc were received from a go-between.

“We knew who the mark was, and we knew his location. The driving motive of the attempted murder was the multitude of criminal proceedings started against Karamalak by order of the incumbent Moldovan authorities. Some time later, we were warned that the customer, i.e. Grigorii Karamalak, was being increasingly nervous. And we were told: do your job if you have taken the money”, said one of the defendants.

Prosecutor Busuioc said that there is yet a second customer of Plahotniuc’s assassination – an inmate serving a sentence in a Moldovan jail for another case. The prosecutor refrained from disclosing the customer’s name.

In his words, the total size of the murder reward was to be US$1 million.

“There were 2 plans of assaulting the Plahotniuc’s office – the Global Business Center in Chisinau. According to the first plan, the attackers were to rush into the building, neutralize security officers with grenades, make their way up to the floor where the mark’s room is, and do away with him. It was also believed that the attackers would be using grenade launchers RPG-26 during the attack. The second plan pre-supposed the using of a Russia-made flame-thrower ‘Shmel’”, said Vitalie Busuioc.

According to Ion Iachimov, Director of the Ministry of the Interior Inspectorate for Criminal Investigations, the criminal group prepared heavy and light arms for the assassination.

“With the group arrested in Moldova, we have found 4 grenade launchers of the RPG model, two of which had been brought from Ukraine. As you know, our Ukrainian colleagues have arrested the other group of suspects on the Plahotniuc case, and searches there revealed tens of TNT blasting cartridges, a sniper’s rifle with a telescopic sight, three pistols, a lot of ammunition, masks”, said the police chief.

At a press briefing in the Parliament Building on Thursday, Parliament Chairman Andrian Candu refused to comment on the prosecutors’ sayings.

“The prosecutors have provided enough information. I am not acquainted with Karamalak, and I have no idea what he has on his mind. I don't really think politicians should interfere into this question”, said Democrat Candu.

Infotag’s dossier: On April 7, the Moldovan and Ukrainian law enforcement detained a total of 17 persons in Chisinau and Kiev suspected of preparing an assassination of Vlad Plahotniuc. Among those caught in Chisinau was a Valery Zabolotnii renowned for his proximity to Karamalak. He used to head the Fund for assistance to sports veterans IFAVIS and was president of the International Association for Cooperation “Moldova-Bulgaria”.

In the mid-1990s, Grigorii Karamalak organized a community of sportsmen – former and active wrestlers and boxers. The community used to offer people of business protection against racketeers. In 1998, the Moldovan police routed the backbone of the community. Karamalak found shelter in Moscow, where he got legalized little by little, and is now the owner of a solid business. Russia refuses to extradite him to Moldova.