Moldovan Ex-MP Accused of Spying for Russia

A former member of the Moldovan parliament has been arrested and accused of treason and espionage for Russia, amid heightened concerns over Moscow's influence in the country.

Prosecutors on Monday said that Iurie Bolboceanu, a former MP and former member of the Moldovan Democratic Party, had been caught red-handed last Friday while meeting a "foreign intelligence service agent." Moldova's Intelligence and Security Service, SIS, confirmed on Monday that Bolboceanu had been meeting a Russian spy.

The arrest comes amid concerns about Russian influence in Moldova. The country's pro-European government warned officials earlier this month not to travel to Russia, citing what it said was abuse and harassment by security officers that it believes is being done in retaliation for a probe into an alleged $22 billion scheme to launder Russian money through Moldova.

Vitalie Busuioc, deputy chief-prosecutor of the Moldovan Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Special Investigations, PCCOCS, said the politician was recorded while receiving money from the Russian agent in exchange for information, after prosecutors and intelligence officers had tracked him for seven months.

He also said prosecutors believed without a doubt that the purpose of Bolboceanu's meeting with the agent was espionage. The former MP allegedly collected information on politicians or businesses and reported to the agent who was working as a diplomat in the Russian embassy in Chisinau.

According to prosecutors, during a search of the politician's residence, they also found 23,000 US dollars and a mobile phone used by the former MP to communicate with his handler.

"The two men followed very strict rules … They walked around for around an hour to make sure...