The Republic of Moldova, along with four other post-Soviet states, appears in a scheme that involved the illegal import of luxury cars into the Russian Federation by bypassing international sanctions. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) reported the information, as cited by IPN.
OLAF launched the investigation after Polish authorities identified suspicious exports of cars from several European Union member states. Exporters officially declared Turkey as the destination, but customs inspections showed that the vehicles actually went to Russia.
The investigation revealed an extensive network that allegedly involved EU exporters and declared importers from the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. According to OLAF, 766 vehicles never reached the destination countries listed in the official documents.
When contacted by IPN, representatives of the State Tax Service and the Customs Service said they would later provide information on the possible involvement of the Republic of Moldova in the investigation.