TRANSNISTRIAN EX-LEADER YEVGENY SHEVCHUK DECLARED INTERNATIONALLY WANTED

Transnistrian investigation committee announced that former president of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan republic (PMR) Yevgeny Shevchuk was declared internationally wanted.

According to the message, he is investigated within six criminal cases, connected with corruption, abuse of power, involvement in shadow schemes, embezzlement of state funds and stopping of 30% from salaries and pensions.

“Articles, on which Shevchuk is suspected, are diverse: participation in smuggling, bribe taking, large-scale misappropriation and embezzlement. The suspicions and criminal component are serious, as well as the sums of money”, said Transnistrian investigation committee Veaceslav Brinzari.

According to him, Shevchuk was expected to come to give evidence several months ago. However, he did not want to come back to Transnistria, from which, according to investigation version, his team of former rulers withdrew millions of dollars. In June, he left Transnistria together with his wife, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nina Shtanski. Several months they lived in Chisinau, where they bought an apartment in an elite house in city downtown. All this time they were guarded by police, as they said there is danger to their lives and security.

In October they left Chisinau. At journalists’ questions, Moldova’s Minister of the Interior of Moldova Alexandru Jizdan said that he does not know in which direction they departed. Later, journalists found out that Yevgeny Shevchuk and his family is living in St. Petersburg.

Recently, the law on investigating cases in absentia was adopted in Transnistria. 2 criminal cases against the ex-president fall within this law – stopping of 30% from salaries and pensions and corruption schemes on the “Biohim” plant. These criminal cases may be considered in absence of the accused.

At the Thursday’s press conference, PMR new leader Vadim Krasnoselsky said he does not want to comment on any criminal case, as it is the court that has to pronounce on these.

“No one has the goal to revenge, but actions of certain people should be legally assessed, This is why I insisted on openness and publicity of these legal processes. These are not political cases, they have exclusively economic character”, Krasnoselsky stressed.