NEWSLETTER

Greetings from Chişinău! Here’s what’s happening this week: our feature story gives you the key points from the newly released Kroll-2 report. ZdG’s Politics Editor examines past attempts at political reshuffling in the wake of ousted leaders, as the country’s Democratic Party attempts to shake off Vlad Plahotniuc. Meanwhile, our Executive Director Alina Radu asks why Moldova’s trade unions are failing to protect workers’ rights in light of forced protests. For the foreign brief, we look at the results of Prime Minister Maia Sandu’s first official visits to Bucharest and Brussels – and where she’s going next. This week’s investigations examine one of Moldova’s most recent privatization scandals coming under parliamentary inquiry, as well as the failure of law enforcement authorities to intervene in a domestic violence case that left one elderly woman dead. And finally, our roundup of opinions, analysis and events about Moldova from around the world. All and that and more in this week’s newsletter. Happy reading!

THIS WEEK’S FEATURE

KROLL–2 REPORT: The second part of the Kroll company’s investigation into the billion-dollar fraud targeting Moldova’s banking system was made public on July 4. According to the new report, 77 Shor Group companies received a grand total of $2.9 billion in loans. While it doesn’t name the beneficiaries of the bank fraud, the report does detail the money-laundering process, some of the companies involved and their representatives. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor General’s Office is claiming that publishing the report could hurt the prosecution. For ZdG’s breakdown – check out this week’s feature. You can read the full 154 page Kroll-2 report here.

HARUNJEN REFUSES TO RESIGN: Lawmakers and civil society have increasingly called for the resignation of Moldova’s Prosecutor General, Eduard Harunjen, for the mismanagement of high-level corruption cases. Last month, dozens of Moldova’s judges and prosecutors resigned en masse. Meanwhile, Harunjen is hanging in there and defending his handling of the investigation, despite the Prime Minister blaming him personally for the country’s failure to recover stolen funds. For more on Harunjen’s career as Prosecutor General, we have a video report. 

EXPERT OPINIONS: In light of the accusations against Harunjen, Moldova’s new Prime Minister has been pushing for the next Prosecutor General to be brought in  from abroad. Amendments to the Law on the Prosecutor General’s Office passed in the first hearing, which should allow for a Prosecutor of foreign citizenship. But ahead of the second approval hearing, there is dissent among the ruling coalition about the potential for a European Prosecutor General. ZdG polls experts on whether Moldova’s next General Prosecutor should be foreign or local.

FROM THE EDITORS

PDM SPLITS WITH PLAHOTNIUC: Moldova’s Democratic Party (PDM) is attempting to part ways with their dethroned political leader, oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc. ZdG Politics Editor Petru Grozavu keeps watch – drawing parallels with the transfer of power in Ukraine and the collapse of Moldova’s Christian Democratic Party (PPCD) in 2001 after the denunciation of their leader, Iurie Roşca.

TRADE UNION COWARDICE: Every month, Moldova’s public servants pay money to trade unions to protect their professional rights. But under the former PDM Government, Moldova’s working professionals were under pressure to support the Party and forced to participate in pro-government protests.  Our Executive Director Alina Radu examines why Moldova’s trade unions are failing to protect workers’ rights. 

THE FOREIGN BRIEF

ROMANIA BACKS MOLDOVA: On her first official visit since taking office, Prime Minister Maia Sandu met with Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest on July 2. During the symbolically important meeting, the two leaders reached an agreement on Romanian assistance for the consolidation of institutions in the Moldovan Republic. President Iohannis expressed a national and personal commitment to supporting Moldova’s European aspirations. While in Bucharest, Prime Minister Sandu also met with Romania’s Prime Minister, the Head of the Senate and other Romanian lawmakers.

SANDU VISITS BRUSSELS: “One day we will be ready for the E.U. and we will knock on the door with confidence,” said Moldova’s Prime Minister at a joint press conference in Brussels. This came after a meeting with Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Negotiations for Enlargement Johannes Hahn on July 3. The Commissioner confirmed that the E.U. would unblock their funding for Moldova and support the implementation of the Association Agreement. Prime Minister Sandu also had meetings scheduled with Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, NATO representatives and senior European officials.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: After visiting Bucharest and Brussels, Prime Minister Sandu hasannounced her next two upcoming visits this month. On July 11, she will head to Kyiv to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Then, on July 16, she flies to Berlin at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. 

ECHR VS. RUSSIA:  The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia pay €80,000 in damages for human rights violations in Transnistria. In one of the cases, the plaintiff claimed he was detained for expressing his political opinion on local elections in Moldova. He was then allegedly held in degrading conditions for 15 days after being sentenced by a court in the so-called “Transnistrian Moldovan Republic.” The Court established that Russia was effectively in charge of the “legal” institutions in the region at the time of the case. 

ZDG INVESTIGATES

TRANSPORTATION’S OFF-SHORING: Moldova’s Parliamentary Investigation Commission isinvestigating the public-private partnership contract to manage the country’s bus stations after the company under contract changed hands several times. As a result, Moldovan public assets came under off-shore ownership. This is just one of the four privatization cases Parliament is currently investigating, along with the concession contract for the Chişinău International Airport, the privatization of Air Moldova and of the Tutun CTC Company. 

AN UNECESSARY DEATH: An 83-year-old woman has died after suffering regular abuse at the hands of her nephew. Lawyer Ana Nani reported the domestic violence case to law enforcement authorities on multiple occasions in May and June, but they failed to intervene on behalf of the victims – the abuser’s two aunts, both in their eighties. The man has been detained, facing multiple criminal charges, including murder, assault and violation of a restraining order.

MOLDOVA IN WORLD NEWS

ANALYSIS: For The American Interest, William H. Hill and David J. Kramer dive into the geopolitical questions sparked by Moldova’s unlikely new coalition: can pro-E.U. forces meaningfully cooperate with Russia? Can Moldova overcome oligarchic corruption to make real economic progress? And what can the West do to help?

CORRUPTION: Moldovan law enforcement have seized several properties belonging to former political leader Vlad Plahotniuc in an alleged money laundering case. According to bne IntelliNews, the properties were registered with Plahotniuc’s company Finpar Investments Ltd. and have an estimated value of €5 million. But the legal grounds for the seizures remain unclear.

REPORT: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe released the results report for the OSCE-led Survey on the Well-being and Safety of Women for Moldova. The survey found a high prevalence of different forms of violence against women – with 80% of respondents having experienced some form of violence since the age of fifteen. This is part of a wider 2018 study on violence against women implemented in selected South Eastern and Eastern European countries.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: At the end of June, Moldova’s ex-government was accused of mass spying on their political opponents. Journalists uncovered the unjustified surveillance, which is now one more reason calls are being made for General Prosecutor Eduard Harunjen to step down. According to reports, he was the one who green lighted the wiretapping of 52 activists and opposition leaders. OCCRP reports.

Ukraine’s Hromadske International was reporting on the ground from Chişinău during the struggle between Moldova’s two governments, which ended with the country’s richest oligarch fleeing abroad and a new government forming out of a coalition between pro-E.U. and pro-Russia parties. They also spoke with Moldova’s new Prime Minister about the country’s next steps. 

Thank you for your continued interest! To keep up with our Moldova coverage throughout the week, you can follow us on Twitter @ZiarulDe or at zdg.md/eng for our latest stories in English. More subscription options coming soon. Until next week!