Putin's Moldovan assistant reappears in exile in Israel
A pro-Russian businessman from Moldova flees to Israel after a court ruling and starts protests there against the course of the current president, who wants to lead the ex-Soviet state into the EU. He then disappears, which calls Interpol into action. But now he is suddenly back.
Fugitive pro-Russian businessman Ilan Shor from Moldova, accused of "buying" voters to influence an election in the former Soviet state, has returned to his exile in Israel, an Interpol official said. Viorel Tentiu, head of the Interpol office in Moldova, said Shor, who was born in Tel Aviv, returned to Israel by air last Wednesday, but Israeli officials could not say where he had been or where his flight had come from. "All we have is confirmation that he landed at Ben-Gurion airport, but it is not known where he went or where he returned from," Tentiu told state television Moldova-1.
Tentiu had previously said that Shor left Israel on Nov. 6. Shor could not be reached for comment. He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by a Moldovan court in April for a $1 billion bank fraud and has been organizing street protests in Israel for months to demand the resignation of the government of pro-European President Maia Sandu. The protests started when Russia cut gas supplies to Moldova. Moldovan investigative journalist Daniela Calmish explained: "We could see that the interests of Ilan Shor, who wanted to escape justice, coincided with Russia's interest in destabilizing the country and dissuading Moldova from pursuing a pro-European course."
The Constitutional Court banned his party and the authorities banned his allies from running for another party in local elections last week. Moldovan officials accused Shor of funneling the equivalent of 50 million euros (53.5 million US dollars) into Moldova to "buy" voters. Tentiu said all Interpol member states had been asked to report whether he was on their territory.
Sandu accuses Moscow of conspiracy
Sandu has denounced Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and accused Moscow of plotting to depose her as she lobbies for membership of the European Union for Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries between Ukraine and Romania. Russia rejects Sandu's accusations and accuses her of waging an anti-Russian campaign and fomenting an anti-Russian atmosphere in Moldova.
Moldovan investigative journalist Daniela Calmish explained: "We could see that the interests of Ilan Shor, who wanted to escape justice, coincided with Russia's interest in destabilizing the country and dissuading Moldova from pursuing a pro-European course."
- Following his disappearance, Russian-leaning businessman Ilan Shor, who had fled to Israel after a court ruling in the Republic of Moldova and was accused of vote manipulation, reappeared in the country.
- In light of accusations levied against him for his role in a $1 billion bank fraud case in Moldova, oligarch Ilan Shor has found support among pro-Russian forces, sparking protests in Israel against President Maia Sandu.
- Amidst allegations of interfering in Moldova's political landscape and attempting to sway the ex-Soviet state towards Russia, Interpol has been monitoring the activities of prominent businessman Ilan Shor, who maintains a presence in Israel.
Source: www.ntv.de
