Moldova freezes funds of pro-Kremlin politicians amid sanctions push
Moldova's State Tax Service (STS) has frozen the funds of former Gagauzian Governor, Irina Vlah, along with Veaceslav Valico and Dmitri Buimistru.
The move follows a decision by the Inter-institutional Supervisory Council (ISC) on September 5, with the STS's orders published in the Republic of Moldova's Official Journal on Tuesday, September 16.
According to orders signed by STS director Olga Golban, funds held by Irina Vlah and Veaceslav Valico in five separate bank accounts at various Moldovan banks have been frozen. In the case of Dmitri Buimistru, funds were blocked in four bank accounts and any potential transactions of an apartment he owns in the Botanica district.
Ilie Chirtoacă, president of the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova (LRCM), told Teleradio-Moldova that those affected will be unable to make transfers, withdraw cash or access other banking services.
Irina Vlah, who served as Gagauzian governor between 2015 and 2023, is the current leader of the 'Inima Moldovei' (Heart of Moldova) party and a candidate for the 'Patriotic Electoral Bloc of Socialists, Communists, Inima and Viitorul Moldovei' in the parliamentary elections. Ms Vlah failed to declare the funds held in five bank accounts to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).
However, she declared 839 lei in interest received last year from Moldinconbank SA, along with 175,000 lei in gifts from 13 people for her 50th birthday. Although Ms Vlah also declared a 21.5-square-meter garage and a 113-square-meter apartment, these assets were not frozen by the STS.
About Irina Vlah
Ms Vlah, a former Gagauzian governor between 2015 and 2023 and a former socialist-backed politician, first entered the Moldovan political scene in 2005 when she became a deputy on the list of the Party of Communists. She ran for governor with the slogan: "It is within our power to be with Russia."
She ran in last autumn's presidential elections, winning 5.38% of the vote in the first round.
In late 2024, Ms Vlah announced the creation of a new political party to participate in the parliamentary elections, positioning herself against the "odious regime of Maia Sandu." Over the past year, she has made multiple trips to Moscow, and members of her party, "Inima Moldovei," are subjects of criminal investigations into illegal party financing and voter bribery ahead of the September 28 parliamentary elections.
Irina Vlah is third on the electoral list of the 'Patriotic Electoral Bloc of Socialists, Communists, Inima and Viitorul Moldovei' for the parliamentary elections on September 28.
About Veaceslav Valico
Known as a civic activist, Veaceslav Valico has close ties to politics. In 2014, he ran as a candidate for deputy on the lists of the 'Choice of Moldova - Customs Union' electoral bloc as a member of the Social-Democratic Party. In 2019, he appeared alongside members of the Democratic Party and praised Vladimir Plahotniuc, before his departure from Moldova, stating that "only the DPM, led by its president Vladimir Plahotniuc, stands guard over our country."
In the snap parliamentary elections on July 11, 2021, Mr Valico ran as an independent and was represented by the controversial Veaceslav Platon, who was convicted of fraud and money laundering in the bank fraud case for the theft of 800 million lei from Banca de Economii.
In recent years, Mr Valico has published videos on social media addressing topics such as a potential "war in Moldova," a "Ukrainian scenario," and other pro-Kremlin narratives.
About Dumitru Buimistru
Although he presents himself as a television host, actor, and comedian, Dumitru Buimistru promotes pro-Russian, pro-Șor, anti-European, anti-Sandu, and anti-PAS propaganda. He has appeared as an actor and host on television channels ITV, THT Exclusiv TV, Orizont TV, TV9, Primul în Moldova, and MD24, which has connections to Ilan Șor and Russia.
According to moldova.mom-gmr.org, Mr Buimistru is the author or promoter of several pro-Russian propaganda topics, such as drawing Moldova into war through "arming," the "Romanization" of Moldova by replacing teachers from the Republic of Moldova with those from Romania, and falsehoods about reduced exports to EU countries.
Dumitru Buimistru is said to have had legal issues. He is reportedly a subject in a case on charges of espionage and creating an illegal network in Moldova with the involvement of FSB agents Vadim Iurcenco and Iuri Gudilin, against whom the US has applied sanctions for involvement in the internal affairs of another state and for creating a disinformation campaign regarding the behavior of Ukrainian refugees in Moldova.
The ISC's decision on September 5 applied international sanctions, imposed by Canada, against several individuals accused of involvement in Russian interference in Moldova.
The ISC list for fund freezing also includes Gagauzian Governor Evghenia Guțul, Mihai Vlah, Yuri Kuznetsov, Ilia Uzun, Victor Petrov, Nelli Parutenco, Natalia Parasca, Dumitru Chitoroagă, Dmitri Buimistru, Alexei Lungu, Veaceslav Valico, Victoria Furtună, Irina Lozovan, Alexandr Nestorovski, Chiril Guzun, as well as the Public Association 'Scutul Poporului' and the 'Pobeda/Victorie' Political Bloc.
“'Chișinău authorities will not tolerate national security being made a plaything for Kremlin mouthpieces,” Prime Minister Dorin Recean said after the vote by CIS members to apply the sanctions.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
