Moldovan police carried out dozens of raids Thursday after discovering that at least $15 million was transferred from Russia to Moldovan citizens in an "unprecedented" effort to tamper with presidential elections this month.Moldova's pro-European President Maia Sandu, who is seeking a second term, has repeatedly accused Russia of political interference in the country, which lies between war-torn Ukraine and EU member Romania.A total of $15 million was transferred from Russia to Moldovan citizens in September alone, police chief Viorel Cernauteanu said at a press conference.More than 100,000 people with the right to vote were thought to be involved in the vote-buying scheme, Cernauteanu said.Police raided 25 locations over what he called an "unprecedented" and "large-scale phenomenon...
to disrupt the electoral process."The money was funneled into the country of 2.6 million by people affiliated with Ilan Shor, a fugitive businessman and former politician, police said.People affiliated with his criminal organization recruited 70,000 sympathizers to cast their ballots for a specific candidate in exchange for money.
Voters were also told to reject joining the European Union in a referendum set for October 20, the same day as the presidential elections.Shor, who was convicted of fraud in absentia last year, said in a Telegram post that all payments are legal.
Moldova has finally turned into a police state, he added, calling on supporters to continue the fight together.In April, Shor announced, from Moscow, the creation of a political coalition called "Victory" with other pro-Russian activists.However, the Moldovan electoral commission refused to register the Victory bloc for the presidential elections and referendum, citing several non-compliance issues.Moldovan police also seized about $1 million of what they called "illegal political financing" from people returning from the April gathering.In June, the United States, Britain and Canada warned of a Russian "plot" to influence Moldova's presidential elections and "incite protests" if a pro-Russian candidate failed to win.