Distraints worth 268 million lei levied in Laundromat file in Moldova

Chisinau, 28 June /MOLDPRES/ - The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) today informed that, following the admission of approaches by anticorruption prosecutors, decision-makers instructed the levying of distraint on financial means worth 268,054, 638.19 lei, owned both as title and through third parties, by Veaceslav Platon in the file generically called Laundromat.    

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PG), the levying of distraint on financial means was carried out with the assistance of the Agency for Crime Assets Recovery (ARBI) of the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA).   

The criminal file in which the businessman is prosecuted was opened by the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, according to a reasonable suspicion of committing of offences of money laundering, abuse of office and manufacturing, owning, sale or use of forged official documents.     

Anticorruption prosecutors found out that, on the period 2010-2014, Veaceslav Platon had created and led a criminal organization, made up of more distinct crime rings, which acted in Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, as well as other states. This criminal organization established a transnational scheme of money laundering through a financial institution from Moldova, checked by the leader of the criminal organization, as well as through bank institutions from Russia, Latvia, controlled and managed directly and indirectly by the members of the organized crime ring, including citizens of Russia and a financial institution from Latvia.    

Thus, under the pretext of fulfillment of illegal judicial ordinances and conclusions by bailiffs, the transfer and conversion of financial means amounting to 22,013, 152, 654.62 U.S. dollars in all, of dubious origin, coming from Russia, was carried out. Subsequently, the financial means were converted and transferred to accounts of non-resident companies managed by Platon.