​PRESIDENT DODON CALLS AMERICAN SANCTIONS AGAINST PLAHOTNIUC “A GOOD AND LONG-AWAITED SIGNAL”

Moldova President Igor Dodon has called the inclusion of Vlad Plahotniuc into the United States sanction list “a good and long-awaited signal”.

In his interview with Russia’s official news agency TASS the President said: “The sanctions against the Moldovan fugitive oligarch is a good and long-awaited signal that came from our Western partners, for which we are grateful to them. We repeatedly appealed to the partners, including to the United States, with such a request. However, to achieve this result, a laborious and often imperceptible work had to be done, first and foremost by the law enforcement, who presented necessary documents and arguments for that”.

Igor Dodon stressed that the introduction by the USA of personal sanctions against Vlad Plahotniuc “should become an extra stimulus for intensification of the new leadership-launched struggle against corruption and the ruinous heritage of the past oligarchic regime”.

“This is not an easy task, but without its solution our country will have no future. Therefore, we must solve this task”, stated the Moldovan President.

Dodon highlighted the contribution to the common cause made by Russia, where Plahotniuc was sentenced in absentia on a number of grave charges and was declared as internationally wanted.

As was already reported by Infotag, on January 13 the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced: “Today, I am designating former Moldovan official and oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc due to his involvement in significant corruption. In his official capacity, Plahotniuc was involved in corrupt acts that undermined the rule of law and severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in Moldova”.

According to him, once the Secretary of State designates officials of foreign governments for their involvement, directly or indirectly, in significant corruption, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for visas to the United States.

“The law also requires the Secretary of State to either publicly or privately designate or identify such officials and their immediate family members. In addition to Plahotniuc, I am designating his wife, Oxana Childescu; his son, Timofei Plahotniuc; and his minor child”, wrote the U.S. Secretary of State.

“Today’s action sends a strong signal the United States does not tolerate corruption and stands with the people of Moldova in their fight against it. The Department will continue to use these authorities to promote accountability for corrupt actors in this region and globally”, stated Mike Pompeo.