Moldova likely to have Magnitsky Act

Chisinau, 9 Dec. /MOLDPRES/- The Republic of Moldova could have a Magnitsky Act. Minister of Justice Sergiu Litvinenco made the statement at a joint conference with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița.

The draft law has already been prepared and will soon reach the Government and Parliament, and will be debated until the end of the year.

The minister stated that the new document will clarify which persons can be the subject of the sanctions implemented in Moldova. The project will especially target the people on the list of sanctions announced by the US and those who had or have direct or indirect links with them. In the same way, the new legislative norm would also provide for the need to freeze the assets, as well as the goods owned by the concerned persons. Also, the people who will become subjects of the new law will not be able to make banking transactions, nor will they be able to donate or sell the assets they own. And their assets will be managed by persons appointed by the state.

Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița reiterated the need to eradicate corruption and specified that all corrupt officials will be detected and referred to justice. She specified that the announcement made today by the British authorities in the case of Ilan Shor and Vlad Plahotniuc "is a clear signal that those who robbed the country will end up where they belong".

The British government today announced a new package of sanctions targeting those who oppress fundamental freedoms around the world, including Ilan Shor and Vladimir Plahotniuc. According to British Ambassador to Moldova Steven Fisher, the two "corrupt Moldovans used their power and influence to enrich themselves illegally - stealing from fellow citizens and undermining the rule of law".

On October 26, the United States Treasury imposed sanctions on Moldovan oligarchs Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor "for actions related to systemic corruption and interference in the elections in Moldova, supported by Kremlin."

The Magnitsky Act was adopted in six countries. The first to adopt this law were the USA - in 2012, initially directed against officials from the Russian Federation, who directly or indirectly contributed to the death of Sergei Magnitsky or covered the corruption schemes that he uncovered. In 2016, the US Congress expanded the Magnitsky Act, making it global, being applied not only against Russian citizens involved in bank fraud and human rights violations, but also against citizens of other countries. Later, similar laws were approved in Estonia - in 2016, in Canada and Lithuania - in 2017, as well as in Latvia - in 2018. In Great Britain it was adopted in 2017. The main mechanism of the Global Magnitsky Act consists in banning the issuance of visas entry for citizens involved in bank fraud and human rights violations. The ban may be limited to five years or more.