Moldovan citizens Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor, fugitives from Moldovan justice, were sanctioned on Friday by the British Government under the Anti-corruption Sanctions Regulation in Great Britain. Thus, any assets held by Plahotniuc or Shor in the UK or any of the UK Overseas Territories, such as the British Virgin Islands or the Cayman Islands, will be frozen.

"Today, on World Anti-Corruption Day, these sanctions designations provide further evidence of our commitment to tackle high level corruption in all parts of the world. It is also evidence of our ongoing commitment to making the United Kingdom a hostile territory for illicit finance. We continue to enjoy excellent cooperation with our Moldovan partners in progressing all outstanding requests for Mutual Legal Assistance, between our two countries. Together, we stand committed to fighting corruption”, the statement of the British Embassy in Chisinau states.
On October 26, US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on 21 individuals and entities involved in acts of corruption, which brought serious damage to the Republic of Moldova and its citizens. The list includes the former democratic leader, Vladimir Plahotniuc, the fugitive deputy from Israel, Ilan Shor, his wife, the Russian performer Sara Shor, known by the stage name Jasmin, as well as the Shor Party.

At the same time, the note from the US Department states, that Ilan Shor, who is also among the beneficiaries of the theft of the billion, is complicit in actions to undermine the rule of law for the benefit of the Russian Federation.

"Any assets and interests of theirs located in the US or owned by  in the US are blocked," stated Kent Logsdon, the US ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.

The prohibitions, applied by the Americans to Plahotniuc, Shor, and Jasmin, are also applied to transactions or providing funds by them, including for the benefit of any person or entity from the Republic of Moldova.

The activity of natural and legal persons, included in the US sanctions list for persistent influence campaigns and acts of corruption, is strictly monitored in the Republic of Moldova as well. In this regard, the Commission for Exceptional Situations has approved a series of decisions that transpose the effect of the sanctions imposed by the Office for the Control of Foreign Assets within the Department of the Treasury of the United States of America, reports the press service of the Government in Chisinau.

Thus, reporting entities will apply increased precautionary measures regarding transactions that do not correspond to the daily activity of persons subject to sanctions, as well as persons suspected of being associated with them. The list of the latter will be developed and updated by the Information and Security Service, which will collaborate in this regard with the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering Service, the National Bank of Moldova, and other public authorities with incident powers in the given field.