Illegal political party funding scheme using foreign cryptocurrencies: The NAC and APO conduct around 20 searches

Officers of the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC), jointly with prosecutors from the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (APO), are conducting approximately 20 searches across several localities in the Republic of Moldova. The actions are part of a criminal case regarding the illegal financing of political parties and money laundering via virtual assets, targeting 16 individuals.

According to the case materials, the mechanism documented by anti-corruption officers operated as a multi-stage scheme in which virtual assets originating from abroad were initially gathered into a central electronic wallet directly controlled by the group's treasurer. Subsequently, the cryptocurrencies were redirected to intermediaries tasked with converting them into Moldovan lei. The resulting cash was fragmented and distributed through couriers to covertly reach the end beneficiaries within the network.

During the searches, authorities discovered and seized mobile phones linked to virtual asset account management apps, hardware devices used to store crypto wallet private keys, as well as cash funds of unverified legal origin.

The operation continues investigations launched in the fall of 2025 ahead of the September 28, 2025 parliamentary elections, when several decision-makers, members, and sympathizers of political groups affiliated with a criminal organization were detained for attempting to influence the vote through illicit funding sources.

Every person shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final and irrevocable court decision.