The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announces the completion of the criminal prosecution and referral to the court for examination on the merits, of the criminal case accusing the cousin of the controversial businessman Veaceslav Platon of committing the crime of manufacturing and putting into circulation the false card in the interest of the “criminal organization” and the crime of money laundering in particularly large proportions.

The criminal case was dismissed on 8 December 2020, with reference to the attempt to denigrate the public image of a judge of the Civil, Commercial and Administrative Litigation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (who was a member of the panels examining disputes involving companies controlled through persons interposed by Veaceslav Platon, the decisions issued were not favourable to him), including creating a perception of a corrupt person through involvement in illicit financial transactions, which would have led to the initiation of investigations, including criminal ones, Prosecutor’s Office representatives said.

Previously, another criminal case against Veacelav Platon for committing the same acts was filed in the same case, which is currently being examined by the Chisinau Court, Buiucani headquarters.

“According to the investigations, a corporate bank card (fake), with euro currency, was opened in the name of the judge in the AO “Trasta Komercbanka” (based in the Republic of Latvia, city of Riga) and a deposit account on which the amount of 300 000 US dollars was deposited, which was subsequently withdrawn on 23 March 2013 via the POS-terminal located at the counter of the Central branch of BC “Moldindconbank” SA, by Platon Veaceslav’s cousin, employed at the bank as banking operations manager, through 99 banking operations of 3. 000 each, totalling $297,000.

The complete documentation of all aspects of the criminal actions investigated in the case was possible and was carried out with the direct support of the Service for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering of the Republic of Moldova, as a result of the exchange of information with the similar service in Latvia and the information provided by the law enforcement authorities of the Republic of Latvia,” the PA announces.

According to the PA, the location of the accused has not been established by the prosecution and the criminal case has been sent to the Court of the Municipality of Moldova for examination. Chisinau, Buiucani, after the investigating judge authorized the completion of the criminal proceedings in her absence.

For the offences committed, the law provides for the maximum penalty in the form of imprisonment from 4 to 8 years, and for (art. 243 para. (3) (b) of the Criminal Code) with imprisonment from 5 to 10 years.