Should be in prison
Putin’s aide from Moldova resurfaced in exile in Israel
November 12, 2023, 9:52 p.m
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 bring the ex-Soviet state into the EU. Then he disappears, which brings Interpol into action. But now he’s suddenly back.
Fugitive pro-Russian Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor, 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 Interpol’s Moldova office, 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 came from . “All we have is confirmation that he landed at Ben-Gurion Airport, but it is not known where he went or returned from,” Tentiu told Moldova-1 state television.
Tentiu had previously said that Shor left Israel on November 6. Shor could not be reached for comment. He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by a court in Moldova in April over 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 began when Russia cut gas supplies to Moldova. Moldovan investigative journalist Daniela Calmish said: “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 authorities last week banned his allies from running for another party in local elections. Moldovan officials accused Shor of funneling the equivalent of 50 million euros ($53.5 million) to 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 oust her while advocating for European Union membership of Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries between Ukraine and Romania. Russia denies Sandu’s allegations and accuses her of waging an anti-Russian campaign and fomenting an anti-Russian atmosphere in Moldova.
Moldovan investigative journalist Daniela Calmish said: “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.”