Several people, including former MP Viorel Melnic, a close associate of Ilan Shor, were detained on Sunday and Monday following a large-scale operation involving over 60 searches in cases related to illegal party financing, electoral corruption, and money laundering, reports Ziarul de Garda.
Authorities have not yet officially confirmed his detention.
“Several individuals were detained yesterday and today (Sunday and Monday) as part of a large-scale operation, which included over 60 searches in cases concerning illegal financing of political formations, electoral corruption, and money laundering. So far, 15 people have been detained, and procedural actions are ongoing,” stated representatives of the National Anticorruption Center.
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The institution said it will provide further details later.
Viorel Melnic was elected as a deputy in Parliament in the uninominal constituency №. 48, opened for citizens from the Transnistrian region after the February 2019 elections, but he resigned from the mandate in July, shortly after Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor left Moldova.
He was removed from the leadership of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova after Dodon reportedly learned of Melnic’s involvement in fraudulent schemes at Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala, and Unibank. At the beginning of 2016, Melnic was appointed as an unpaid economic advisor to Mayor Ilan Shor. Later, Viorel Melnic became the head of AO “Pentru Orhei,” affiliated with Shor.