Crime in Moldova

Moldovan prosecutors on Thursday detained four members of the board of the National Bank of Moldova, BNM, all current or former leaders of the bank, in relation to the so-called grand theft of a billion US dollars from the banking system between 2012 and 2014.

Russian prosecutors have accused the ex-leader of the former ruling party in Moldova, Vlad Plahotniuc, of drug trafficking.

In November 2018, the Moldovan authorities launched an ambitious pitch to sell passports in the UAE.

On March 22 this year, meanwhile, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Vitalie Iurcu, launched a similar presentation in Hong Kong for Far Eastern audiences.

It was held under the slogan: "Moldova, the newest pearl of Europe."

A group of opposition deputies has drafted new legislation to combat money-laundering after the parliamentary majority voted last Thursday to pass a fiscal reform package which has sparked criticism, particularly from Moldova's Western partners and donors, for loopholes that could allow the legalisation of criminally-acquired funds.