Prosecutors ask 15 years in prison for Moldovan businessman

Chisinau, 24 August /MOLDPRES/ – The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office has completed the investigation and forwarded the case to court on charge of extortion and money laundering by the former head of Banca de Economii a Moldovei (Savings Bank) Ilan Sor.

According to the press service of the General Prosecutor’s Office (GPO), "Ilan Sor is charged that on November 4–25, 2014, secured by fraud, over five billion lei at BEM which would have washed through dozens of offshore companies amount confirmed by the KROLL memorandum, submitted on request of the prosecution."

Thus, obtaining money from BEM would be achieved by offering loans to several companies that would belong to Ilan Sor, and as a guarantee on the repayment of funds obtained were some fictitious contracts concluded with a number of banking entities in the Russian Federation. "According to the indictment, the defendant would have persuaded the BEM Administrative Council to vote for loans to his firms, concealing that he is their de facto owner. Being questioned by prosecutors, the Council members acknowledged that they had been misled by their chief, they would have been given assurances that borrowers are trustful economical agents, and the business was profitable for the bank due to high interest rates that they would receive after loans repayment," reads a release of GPO.

The prosecutors obtained more evidence which demonstrated that the defendant had intended to disguise the money criminal origin, in other words, hiding the fact that the funds were stolen from BEM. For this purpose, there were a series of transfers from some offshore companies accounts to others, which found confirmation in replies to letters rogatory sent by prosecutors abroad.

In his testimony, the defendant refused to admit his fraudulent scheme involvement, noting that "it was planned by the ex-Prime Minister Vlad Filat, who introduced to him the businessman Veaceslav Platon, with the request to help that through these loans, which proved later to be fraudulent, to solve problems related to paying of some debts to other banks in Moldova," mentioned the same source.

But prosecutors consider, that the defendant should be held criminally responsible in this case for money laundering and extortion in large proportions, crimes requiring punishment of up to 15 years in prison. Case will be examined by the Buiucani Court.

Over 20 criminal cases, aimed at BEM, Social Bank and Unibank ruining, by offering bad loans, were sent to court. Grigore Gacichevici and ex-members of BEM Administrative Council reached the bench of accused, together with other people who committed money laundering, influence peddling and passive corruption acts.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor A. Raileanu)