Weekly Roundup: Shor Removed from Facebook
June 8, 2024
Ilan Shor Banned from Facebook
This week, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced that they have added Ilan Shor and his associates to a list of "dangerous organizations and individuals." This resulted in Ilan Shor, Marina Tauber, Alexei Lungu (leader of the “Chance” party) and Bashkan Evghenia Gutsul being removed from the platform.
Meta’s policy on “dangerous organizations and individuals” states that they will remove any content that "glorifies, endorses or represents" banned people and groups.
This news comes after journalists from ZdG confronted Secretary of State Blinken on his trip to Moldova and asked how individuals under US sanctions are allowed to spend so much money on Facebook (we covered this in the last Weekly Roundup). Shortly after this press conference Facebook announced the removal of many pages and groups associated with Shor. Now, he and his closest associates are all off the platform.
Watchdog.md released a report this week showing that the biggest spreaders of disinformation in Moldova are Ilan Shor and Veaceslav Platon. Both fugitive oligarchs are big spenders on Facebook with Shor spending at least 378,000 euros on the platform since he was sanctioned by the US in October 2022. Platon spent 124,000 euros since May 2023 promoting himself and former journalist Natalia Morari1. The latest action by Meta does not apply to Platon who is wanted in Moldova and has been sanctioned by Canada, but not by the US or UK (where he lives). According to Watchdog the primary themes of the coordinated disinformation campaigns have been that re-electing Maia Sandu will result in a loss of Moldovan independence; the “west” wants to use Moldovan territory to start a war; postal voting is voter suppression; and that Russia is actually the main market for Moldovan agricultural goods.
Ilan Shor’s lawyer announced that they plan to sue Meta for interfering in Moldovan elections and suppressing freedom of speech. Statements from Shor, the Pobeda Party (Victory) and other related groups about the lawsuit were largely published by the Moldovan press (with some exceptions) without any reference to the obvious question - sue where? As an American company, first amendment protections apply to Meta and their ability to decide who they do and don’t want on their platform (including former US Presidents). The idea that Ilan Shor, a fugitive who is sanctioned by the US, would succeed in suing Meta is ludicrous. Moldovan journalists running these statements uncritically have essentially been spun into broadcasting more of Shor’s disinformation. Notably that his freedom of speech is being oppressed by “Americans” working on behalf of Maia Sandu, etc.
Corruption in Moldova’s Interpol Office
This week Anti-Corruption Prosecutors and police conducted 33 searches and detained 5 people suspected of an international bribery scheme related to Interpol Red Notices (effectively an international arrest warrant). One of those arrested was the head of Moldova’s Interpol Bureau Viorel Țentiu.
The case involves an international criminal network which bribed officials in Moldova and other countries in order to obtain asylum in Moldova or otherwise remove themselves from Interpol’s Red Notice list. The investigation began in April after a request from the French National Prosecutor's Office was sent to Moldovan Anti-Corruption Prosecutors. Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Veronica Dragalin announced that in the course of the joint French-Moldovan investigation she also requested assistance from the FBI in “processing” digital devices sized in searches.
4 of the 5 persons detained were released having been deemed not to be a flight risk. Viorel Țentiu remains incarcerated.
Moldova’s new Prosecutor Gerneal (more on that news below), Ion Munteanu, spoke to the press stating that the country is not aware of any fugitive oligarchs, including Plahotniuc, as having been beneficiaries of this scheme. He stated:
"We are talking about cases against drug dealers, smugglers, organized crime, criminals with a fairly serious range of offenses,"
Other Crime, Corruption and Justice Reform News
Here’s a rapid fire roundup of the other top stories in crime and corruption from this week:
Moldova *finally* has a Prosecutor General. Ion Munteanu has officially been appointed Prosecutor General following a successful attempt to organize a competition for the post. The country has not officially had a Prosecutor General since October 2023, but practically not since the former Prosecutor General was arrested in October 2021. Ion Munteanu was the Acting Prosecutor General and will now assume a full mandate.
Journalists from BIRN report that Igor Gorgan, former Chief of the General Staff and Russian spy, will be prosecuted for treason. The reporting from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) cites high level sources in Moldovan Intelligence (SIS) saying the the Prosecutor General’s office has requested any and all information about the former General be sent over from SIS. Igor Gorgan has also been suspended from his role at the UNHCR pending an internal investigation. The UN agency stated that he was their chief of security. In spite of the BIRN reporting, Mr. Gorgan is a free man and there has been no official word from prosecutors in Moldova. Speaker of Parliament Grosu called for this to change saying:
“I would like to ask all representatives of law enforcement agencies who are involved in this case to tell publicly as often as possible what stage the investigation is at. We are talking about the security of the country, and the level of his [former] position is of interest and concern to all citizens, especially in the current context. Dear heads of institutions, please provide more information from the original source,”
Note: to read more check out Moldova Matters article “General Deception: A Russian Spy at the Top of Moldova's Military”
Bashkan Gutsul’s lawyers (and others) seek to delay her trial. The Bashkan’s representatives appealed to the judge for a 1 month trial delay stating that they needed more time to familiarize themselves with the case materials. Prosecutors noted that defense lawyers could have requested this information as far back as April but didn’t until now. In a (fairly shocking) twist, the judge agreed with prosecutors and will continue the hearings on schedule. Then, multiple bomb threats were called in against the courthouse causing the trial to be delayed.
Moldovan police officer Sergiu Rosu honored after refusing a $20,000 bribe. Minister of Internal Affairs Adrian Efros promoted Rosu and cited him as an example of integrity within the police force. Rosu, who is the Chief of the Botanica Police Inspectorate refused the bribe from a Ukrainian citizen who was seeking to protect his illegal business (a call center). Subsequent searches sized 250,000 lei in cash and closed down the illegal business.
President Sandu and Prime Minister Recean will be called as witnesses in the airport concession case. Former Prime Minister Iurie Leancă, a defendant in the case, petitioned the judge to call all members of his former cabinet as witnesses. The case, which implicates 8 former officials, regards the 2013 decision to give the national airport to the company Avia Invest in a 49 year concession. Avia Invest was founded 28 days before the decision and is owned by Ilan Shor. The government regained control of the airport in 2023 in a court decision. The state claims 392 million lei in damages from the concession deal. President Sandu was the Minister of Education at the time and abstained from the vote. Adrian Băluțel, Chief of Staff to President Sandu, called out the court saying:
… "Maia Sandu requested the sanctioning of all those who abusively "offered" the Chisinau Airport to the Sor group. What is happening now is a circus of the corrupt with the aim of hiding the truth"
National Security
Here’s a rapid fire roundup of the top security and defense news of the week:
Germany will provide Moldova with another 14 Piranha-3 H Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs). This was announced during a visit by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to Moldova on May 31st. These 14 Piranhas will be in addition to 19 already supplied by Germany. Defense Minister Pistorius also announced that Germany will provide Moldova with anti-drone air defense systems as well, but he clarified that these are small systems for countering drones saying:
“We are not talking about large air defense systems yet. Ukraine needs them now,”
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has continued to level bizarre attacks against the Moldovan government. She commented on Moldova’s falling birth rate saying:
The militarization of the country and the process of “pulling it” towards NATO are gaining momentum. In 2024, the country hosted 17 military exercises and training camps, including those with the participation of American or Romanian military personnel. I understand why the birth rate is falling in Moldova. If there are 17 military exercises with the participation of American and Romanian military personnel, then Moldovan men simply have no time to engage in procreation. They are all being integrated into NATO,”
Ukrainian authorities in the Odesa region have begun installing equipment to disrupt the broadcast of Russian propaganda into Ukraine from Transnistria. They state that all blocking equipment will be installed by June 15th.
Ukrainian Ambassador Mark Shevchenko spoke in an interview warning about threats of attacks against hydroelectric plants. The Ambassador referenced the disaster of the Kakhovka dam attack and subsequent flooding from last year and explained that Russia had targeted the Dniester hydroelectric station this spring. He noted that the missile and drone attack failed thanks to Ukrainian air defenses but it is possible they will try again. The Dniester hydroelectric station is located on the Nistru river in Ukraine upstream from Moldova. Destruction of this dam would result in significant downstream flooding in both Ukraine and Moldova.
Politics
Here’s a rapid fire roundup of the top political stories of the week:
The European Commission has recommended that the EU start accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine this month. They stated that "all steps have been met by the two countries." The decision will now be made by the EU’s 27 member states. It seems likely that all member states will agree to move forward with Moldova, but it is unclear whether Hungary will try and block negotiations with Ukraine.
Parliament has adopted a declaration condemning Russian genocide in Ukraine. The declaration particularly references the right of Ukrainian children to safety and to education in their native language. Parliament released a statement following the adoption saying:
“This Declaration confirms the readiness of the Moldovan authorities to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees from Ukraine and calls for the consolidation of efforts of the democratic world and international humanitarian organizations to identify, locate and repatriate forcibly displaced and deported children to Ukraine,”
Parliament has passed amendments to the statute defining treason in the final reading (for details of this legislation see our article from last week). The bill will now go to President Sandu for her signature. Critics of the amendments include Amnesty International Moldova which called the language of the law “vague and vulnerable to abuse.” Amnesty’s director in particular called out potential threats to freedom of speech. Lawyers interviewed by Newsmaker also warned that the law is vague and that even social media posts could be deemed treasonous in some circumstances. Experts remain split on the legislation but most agree that this will wind up in the Constitutional Court. Speaker Grosu disagreed with Amnesty’s analysis noting that the law is tailored to help the country fight national security risks emanating from Russia in the form of illegal parties and illicit financing.
A new civil initiative "Citizens for Europe” was launched. Organizers of the initiative include former Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu, Nata Albot, businessman Vasilie Tofan and opera singer Valentina Nafornita. The initiative invites citizens to join them in uniting around the idea of European Integration and to collectively push back against disinformation. Announcing the initiative they stated:
“The Citizens for Europe initiative is a collective national effort to strengthen democracy through civic education and combating disinformation. In the current climate, characterized by intensifying disinformation campaigns and manipulation of information, we are committed to ensuring that every citizen has access to accurate and objective information, so that at the European integration referendum on 20 October 2024, all voters can vote with full knowledge of the facts, having all the necessary data to make an informed and independent decision,”
Opposition leaders attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Igor Dodon, various Socialist Party leaders and Bashkan Gutsul all attended the event. In a particularly ironic twist, Igor Dodon spoke at a session “dedicated to the present and future of Europe.”
Renato Usatii speculates that Natalia Morari may enter politics and run for president. Usatii was speaking in the context of the meeting Morari held to try and bring the opposition together around a common candidate to run against Maia Sandu. Usatii says he did not attend the event in spite of an invitation because he was unwilling to sit around a table with Vlad Filat and Igor Dodon. Speaking about Morari he said: “Mrs. Morari probably set a trap for them so that if there is no common candidate, she could declare that she will go into politics and run on her own.” Vlad Filat also announced he would run for president this week, further dooming the efforts at a common candidate. Note: If you want some background on Natalia Morari’s fall from grace take a look at our article from 2021.
Economics and Infrastructure
Here’s a rapid fire roundup of the top economics and infrastructure stories of the week:
Minister of Energy Parlicov announced that Moldova and Ukraine have informally agreed on a mechanism to continue the supply of natural gas to Transnistria in 2025. This agreement would assure a continued supply of Russian natural gas to the region following the end of gas transit agreements between Ukraine and Russia in December 2024. Under the plan, Russia could supply natural gas for the region to Turkey and it would then transit Bulgaria, Romania and then Ukraine to arrive in Transnistria. Ukraine has agreed not to inhibit this gas flow and Moldova has stressed that the country will sign no agreements with Russian gas giant GazProm guaranteeing any transit. Under this plan someone would have to pay substantially increased gas transit fees. The Ministry of Energy announced that the Transnistrian gas transit company Tiraspoltransgaz has already registered a subsidiary company in Moldova and opened bank accounts with which to make payments for gas transit. Transnistria also recently announced an increase in energy prices for the region likely preparing for higher costs.
Moldova’s State Tax Service STS has announced a 10.8% increase in budget revenues in the first 5 months of 2024 as compared to 2023. On face value this is meant to be taken as positive economic news, but it does not take into account the 13.44% annual inflation in 2023.
The Ministry of Economy has proposed the creation of a legal monopoly for the sale of scrap metal. The monopoly would be given to the state owned enterprise Metalferos and is targeted at the growing monopsony power of the Transnistrian Moldavian Metallurgical Plant (MMZ). Prior to the beginning of the war scrap metal exporters could access international markets (largely India) via Ukrainian ports. Now MMZ is largely a sole buyer and the Ministry says they are abusing their pricing power. Minister Alaiba stated that at “tax monopoly” for Metalferos will rebalance this relationship while providing additional income to the state. Transnistrian “Foreign Minister” Vitaly Ignatiev said that this decision “provokes tension” and is aimed at increasing economic pressure on the region.
Minister of Economy Alaiba stated that the country is beginning to see signs of economic recovery. The minister stated that signs of recovery from the recession that began with the start of the war began appearing in November and that in Q1 2024 private investment is up 12% and industry has grown 10% as compared to a year before. The Minister also announced a new 7 million euro investment from the German company Knauf in a drywall manufacturing facility in Balti. He noted that the construction materials industry grew 11.5% in Q1 as compared to the previous year. Knauf has stated that the plant will focus on exports to Ukraine and Romania, likely positioning themselves for the future reconstruction of Ukraine.
Sergei Tofilat, a member of the Supervisory Board of MoldovaGaz has announced that he will donate 1/2 of his salary to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Tofilat explained that his action is a protest against the refusal of MoldovaGaz controlling shareholder GazProm to reduce the salaries of the Supervisory Board. Tofilat stated that members of the board are paid 35% more than similar positions in Romania. He has also pushed for salaries to be based on performance. Tofilat will donate half of his salary, amounting to 540,000 lei annually, "because thanks to the courage and perseverance of Ukrainian soldiers, we can feel safe here at home." Sergei Tofilat noted that by this mechanism Russia’s GazProm is now indirectly financing the Ukrainian Army by refusing to implement corporate reforms in Moldova.
Minister of Energy Parlicov met with representatives of 19 Chinese companies to discuss investment opportunities in Moldova. The Minister called on the companies to invest in the Moldovan energy sector calling the country a “small but flexible and fast country” and pitching Moldova as a place to innovate and test new investments. The Minister said that there will soon be a law creating “innovative testing spaces” in the energy sector focused on wind and solar power generation. Speaking to the companies he invited them to participate in government tenders saying: “Moldova is technologically neutral and will not give special advantages or impose restrictions on manufacturers from different countries.”
The Ministry of Economy officially launched the EVO app at the Moldovan Digital Summit. The app is available for all citizens and residents with an electronic signature and is free to download for iOS and Android. Minister Alaiba spoke of the benefits of the app saying:
“Starting today, you can leave your ID, driver's license and registration at home. All the documents you need will be on your phone. After months of work, integration and testing, today we are offering EVO to everyone,”
I struggle a bit to describe the relationship between Veaceslav Platon and Natalia Morari. Platon is the father of Morari’s son and they are clearly still romantically involved making “girlfriend” seem a little out of place. Moldovan groups writing in English have settled on “concubine” to describe Morari which is a little out there as well. Whatever the case, these two are in a relationship.