A man votes in Chisinau, Moldova [Vladislav Culiomza/Reuters]
Police have accused Ilan Shor, a fugitive tycoon who lives in Russia, of trying to pay off at least 130,000 voters to vote “no” and back a specific candidate.
Shor, who was jailed in absentia for fraud and theft and is under Western sanctions, has openly offered to pay Moldovans to persuade others to vote “no” and back “our candidate”. He denies wrongdoing and says the money is his.
On Thursday, law enforcement agencies also said they had uncovered a scheme in which hundreds of people were allegedly taken to Russia to undergo training to stage riots and civil unrest.
Russia denies interfering in Moldova and has long accused its government of “Russophobia”.
Police chief Viorel Cernauteanu told the Reuters news agency on Saturday they had done everything to prevent any influence on the vote.
“There will be some kind of impact in any case, but I think it will not influence the votes overall,” he said.
Source link : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/20/moldova-votes-for-president-eu-path-amid-russian-interference-allegations
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Publish date : 2024-10-20 07:00:00
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