{"id":442587,"date":"2016-09-28T16:49:54","date_gmt":"2016-09-28T16:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/?p=442587"},"modified":"2016-09-28T16:49:54","modified_gmt":"2016-09-28T16:49:54","slug":"2-us-congressmen-propose-resolution-investigate-moldovan-banking-frauds-impose-sanctions-oligarch-vlad-plahotniuc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/2-us-congressmen-propose-resolution-investigate-moldovan-banking-frauds-impose-sanctions-oligarch-vlad-plahotniuc\/","title":{"rendered":"2 US Congressmen propose a resolution to investigate Moldovan banking frauds and impose sanctions on oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Republican Congressman of Texas, Randy Weber, together with Republican Congressman of Arizona, Trent Franks, proposed to the House of Representatives a resolution<\/a> concerning the anti-corruption efforts in Moldova. <\/p>\n

The resolution number 896 puts emphasis on the significant relation of the United States of America and the Republic of Moldova, the huge financial support for development projects in Moldova, but also Russia’s influence in the region, one one side, and the defrauded $1 billion much of which consisted of IMF loans, on the other side.
\nThe two Congressmen believe the banking frauds<\/a> from 2014 exposed the high-level corruption, well-structured kleptocracy of the Government of Moldova, contested by hundreds of thousands of people at protests. <\/p>\n

“It has been alleged by credible sources, including former senior Moldovan Government officials cooperating with the United States Government, and other whistleblowers with personal knowledge of the bank heist and organized criminal activity, that members of the current ruling party, including Vice-Chairman of the Moldovan Democratic Party and feared oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, participated in the laundering of these funds into Russian banks and off-shore shell companies.
\nIt is also believed that funds from Russia, including the infamous Magnitsky Affair, from Libya, and from Iraq, were laundered through Moldova as part of criminal schemes orchestrated by Plahotniuc and his accomplices”<\/em>, are some of the Congressmen’s arguments.<\/p>\n

As solutions, the Resolution proposes:
\n-to call on the US Government and the European Union to ensure free and fair Presidentials elections;
\n-to restrict assistance designated for Moldova’s justice sector reform, anti-corruption efforts and strengthening democratic institutions, until corruption persists at governmental levels;
\n-the Executive Branch agencies to initiate investigations on the Moldovan banking frauds and money laundering, to find out if the US banking system was used in them, if the US taxpayers’ money in form of IMF loans were directed to sanctioned entities and if any of the government members participated or benefited in the grand banking theft, including Vladimir Plahotniuc;
\n-to impose ban of travel to the US, economic sanctions and freezing of assets to individuals such as Vlad Plahotniuc, Parliament speaker Andrian Candu, head of Supreme Court of Moldova Mihai Poalelungi, interim general prosecutor Eduard Harunjen, director of the Anti-Corruption Center Viorel Chetraru, head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecution Viorel Morari, Justice Minister Vladimir Cebotari, Internal Affairs Minister Alexandru Alexandru Jizdan, head of Chi\u0219in\u0103u Appeal Court Ion Ple\u0219ca and Plahotniuc’s close figures Sergey Iaralov and Dorin Damir, if the investigation finds participation or complicity in the laundering of funds from entities or governments sanctioned by the US;
\n-to establish an act for Vladimir Plahotniuc and other government officials similar to Magnitsky Act, if found to be involved in the banking frauds and\/or money laundering.<\/p>\n

The Congressmen might have been persuaded by the Presidential candidate and leader of Platform “Dignity and Truth” Andrei N\u0103stase, who paid a visit to Washington (Weber, in particular) last week.
\n