The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (AP) has clarified the seizure of financial assets in the amount of 268 054 638.19 lei, held both by the controversial businessman Veaceslav Platon and through third parties, in the criminal case known as “Laundromat”.

According to the prosecutors, the criminal case in question was initiated by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office on reasonable suspicion of committing the offences of money laundering, abuse of office and making, possessing, selling or using false official documents, prints, stamps or seals.

“Anti-corruption prosecutors have found that during 2010-2014, Veaceslav Platon, established and led a criminal organization, consisting of several separate organized criminal groups, operating on the territory of Moldova, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and other states. In this regard, this criminal organization established a transnational money laundering scheme carried out through a financial institution in the Republic of Moldova, controlled by the leader of the criminal organization, as well as through banking institutions in the Russian Federation, the Republic of Latvia, controlled and managed directly and indirectly by members of the organized criminal group, including citizens of the Russian Federation and a financial institution in the Republic of Latvia.

Thus, under the pretext of executing multiple illegal court orders and bailiff’s orders, the transfer and conversion of funds of dubious origin from the Russian Federation in the total amount of USD 22 013 152 654.62 (US dollars) was carried out, contrary to the national legislation of Moldova and the Russian Federation,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

Subsequently, according to the AP, the indicated funds were converted and transferred to the accounts of non-resident companies opened both in financial institutions in Moldova and in the Republic of Latvia, managed by the controversial businessman Veaceslav Platon.

Criminal proceedings are currently in full swing, with a series of prosecutions being carried out to establish all the circumstances of the case, conduct a full and objective criminal investigation, recover the damage caused and to hold criminally liable all those involved in the commission of the offences in question.

A person charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final judgment.

In August 2021, Ziarul de Gardă wrote that the fraud scheme, generically called “Laundromat”, which is alleged to be the largest money laundering operation in history, targets dozens of people in the political entourage, the justice sector and the financial-banking sector in Moldova.

More than eight years after the prosecution of the so-called “Laundromat” case, the organisers of the scheme have not been brought to justice. Although the investigation in the Russian Federation, which ran in parallel with the one in Moldova, was completed a year ago and resulted in arrest warrants for Veaceslav Platon and former Democratic leader Vladimir Plahotniuc, who are listed as organisers of the operation, as well as the conviction of Elena Platon, the sister of the controversial businessman, the “Laundromat” case in Moldova has not reached a conclusion.