The Shor Party has released a statement in which it “condemns the new wave of reprisals and intimidation against its members and sympathizers, just one day before the peaceful rally scheduled by the Movement for the People in front of the Parliament to demand the government to pay in full the bills for the winter months.”

The reaction comes after the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced on Saturday 18 February that it had carried out more than 20 raids in the case of illegal financing of the political party Shor, and eight people were detained and several sums of money were seized.

“The Sandu-PAS regime’s animalistic fear of its own people, brought to the brink of poverty, makes them use all instruments of the police state against peaceful citizens. This morning, new massive raids began on our activists in all localities” the Shor Party statement added.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced that the prosecution actions were carried out throughout the country, at the homes of members of the faction, who are actively and systematically involved in receiving and distributing money in particularly large proportions to the presidents and vice-presidents of the party’s territorial offices, for transporting and remunerating citizens from different regions of the country to the protests organized by the Shor Party in the period September 2022 – present, including the protest planned for the 19th of February 2023.

The Prosecutor’s Office recalled that during the raids conducted on 20 October 2022, prosecutors and officers seized more than 4.2 million MDL and 4,000 US dollars, and on 2 November 2022, more than 320,000 MDL were detected and seized.

Over the past months, with the help of special technical means, it was possible to document several episodes in which members of the organized criminal group transmitted over 3.3 million Moldovan Lei (around 165,000 EUR) 61,000 EUR and 55,000 USD to members and activists of the Shor Party, the prosecutor’s office also informed.

The money was allegedly used to pay people who took part in protests, pay transport and envelope salaries to party members. According to the prosecutor’s office, the evidence gathered would confirm that the money came from sources prohibited by law.