Moldova elections: Șor's bribery scheme from prison
The scheme through which the group led by convicted fugitive Ilan Șor bribes voters is reportedly continuing, even though law enforcement agencies managed to thwart the transfer of payments from Moscow via the "PSB" application, which was used in the 2024 elections.
Furthermore, these illegal activities are allegedly managed, specifically in Gagauzia, from Penitentiary No. 13 in Chișinău, according to Serghei Cernev, head of the Comrat Territorial Office of the State Chancellery.
The Comrat official recalled, during the "Scaner" show on Moldova 1, that the Șor group has developed a new application through which local activists are allegedly paid with money originating from Russia, ahead of the parliamentary elections on September 28. This is the "Taito" application, through which, according to Cernev, "funding has been restarted."
"The organizers involved in this scheme, who were exposed by the public, have already developed a new application – Taito – through which funding has been restarted," Cernev stated.
Moreover, the head of the Comrat Territorial Office of the State Chancellery stated that, in Gagauzia's case, the scheme is allegedly managed from Penitentiary No. 13 by an individual incarcerated for similar illegalities, who is responsible for the Șor group's financial flows within the Gagauz Autonomy.
"Even from there, he dares to manage this platform through which money reaches Gagauzia. He lives in comfortable conditions, goes to the medical ward, stays separate from other detainees, and has two phones with which he manages the transfer of money to the region via this platform. Until the flow of money through this platform is halted, the chaos in our electoral system will persist, and Șor will continue to influence election results," warned Serghei Cernev on Moldova 1.
It is worth mentioning that the General Police Inspectorate also announced, at the end of this June, the new methods being used by the Șor criminal group to influence election results in the Republic of Moldova. According to the Police, the network affiliated with the convicted fugitive is using a new application installed on phones to transmit information and instructions to activists, ahead of the parliamentary elections on September 28.
Specifically, the new application is called "Taito," and recruited activists are expected to communicate in a closed group to receive instructions from the scheme's coordinators. To use the new mobile application, citizens must provide personal data, such as their personal code and home address, mirroring the requirements of the PSB application from "Promsvyazbank," a Russian financial institution subject to international sanctions. These transfers were made to the Republic of Moldova to corrupt voters in the autumn 2024 elections.
Chișinău's law enforcement authorities urge citizens to refrain from providing personal data under unclear conditions, especially in situations that could indicate attempts to influence voting in the parliamentary elections in September 2025.
"According to the law, individuals who commit the offense of electoral corruption can be held liable for administrative or criminal offenses," warns the General Police Inspectorate.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
