Moldovan Prosecutor General's Office urges cooperation for bank fraud

Chisinau, July 13 /MOLDPRES/ – The Prosecutor General's Office (PG) today has appealed to people, who have relevant information on the Moldovan banking system fraud, to prove responsibility to observe the law and come to prosecutors to answer their questions, so that the information provided contribute to the normal carrying out of the investigation. 

According to the PG  press service, “the call is released as a result of misrepresentations or speculations recently made in public by more people, whose purpose is to discredit the investigations underway to identify and call to account all persons involved in looting the country’s banking system”. 

“Given the cross-border nature of the bank fraud investigated, decision-takers appealed to interstate cooperation in the field of international legal assistance in criminal matters. Thus, they sent rogatory letters to competent authorities from other states, namely Latvia, USA, Ukraine, etc. As a result of these actions, with the support of representatives of Latvian Prevention and Combating Money Laundering Service, FBI and Justice Department of the United States of America, relevant information was gained, which allowed a significant advancement of the investigation and, hence, a criminal file was sent to court, as well as completion, in short term, of the prosecution of other criminal causes under procedure,” reads a press release of the institution. 

“Another important factor that allowed managing evidence on the case in a short period, is also the cooperation of anti-corruption prosecutor's office's with KROLL company's representatives, who have permanently unveiled relevant information on the case,” also states the release. 

The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office  stressed  that it would continue and deepen international cooperation activities underway with the authorities of the aforementioned states, in order to multilaterally, objectively and fully investigate the circumstances of the frauds in this area.

The call of the Prosecutor General's Office was launched following statements made by former Deputy Head of Service for Prevention and Combating money laundering at the National Anti-corruption Centre Mihail Gofman, who said, at a recent press conference in Washington, that the main beneficiaries of the banking system theft would be the first vice president of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, followed by the former Prime Minister Vlad Filat. 

(Reporter P. Beregoi, editor L. Alcaza)