Since 2010, the Republic of Moldova became a real system of money laundering in the region through the courts. This "fame" went around the world and half of the 20 judges who dictated shameful verdicts continue to judge and "do justice" to this day.

Many judges who have "legalized" black money from Russia were later on involved in scandals. However, the system does not want to "cleanse" itself and some of the judges who participated in money laundering scheme were even appointed court presidents.

Copycat ordinances

Schemes used by criminals for money laundering were always the same - some offshore companies in the UK, New Zealand, Belize, the Russian Federation were creditors, debtors, guarantors, endorsers etc. and a Moldovan citizen was endorser.

These cases were examined by Moldovan judges who issued ordinances based on some photocopied documents issued by authorities from abroad, without being authenticated under the law and actually each case had  an annex of the ID of the citizen of the Republic of Moldova but the part of the document with the residence of the person lacked.

The judges did not know the residence of the citizen of the Republic of Moldova and they accepted the cases for examination and issued ordinances to get the sums claimed by applicants.

“Ghost” cases and false signatures

In all, the Moldovan judges have examined 53 cases that targeted large sums of money,  in 29 cases they issued ordinances and in 24 cases they refused applications.

While most judges have mimicked hearings in such cases, issuing rulings on the same day when the application was filed in the court, there were cases when some judges have found themselves involved, though they swore that they did not take such decisions. For example, the Magistrate of the Court Buiucani Ghenadie Plamadeala, for example, whose signature is on an ordinance of cashing a sum of 800 million dollars issued on 3 May 2013, presented a copy of the passport showing that, at the time, he was having a holiday in Italy.

“Ghost” cases based on which there were legalized 2,342 billion dollars are supposed to be examined by the Court Drochia and Ciocana, but they have never been registered in these courts. 

Valeriu Gasca – 2,1 billion dollars

Judge Valeriu Gasca from the Court of District Rascani issued the most ordinances to cash sums of money in money laundering scheme- 5, and the sum reached 2.1 billion dollars in all.

Gasca signed the first ordinance on May 27, 2011 (file No. 2po-416/2011). At the court, a company from Great Britain „Seabon Limited” requested from other companies in Great Britain and the Russian Federation,  from the Moldovan citizen Dmitri Vartic to return 200 million dollars. Though some documents annexed to the case did not meet the legislation, the residence of  Dmitri Vartic was not shown and the request of the ordinance was not written on a sheet with letterhead of the creditor and was signed by an unknown person, the judge Valeriu Gasca accepted the request, the transaction happened and the culprit had not any claim.

I went to Dmitri Vartic’s house to discuss with him about the debt of 200 million dollars which the young man paid based on Gasca’s ordinance 4 years ago to the British off-shore.  

„Hundreds of millions of dollars?? Are you kidding?  I have known this boy for many years. He was poor, where could he take this sum of money? I do not know what he did, but I have not seen him here for a period. I know that he has an old car, he is married and he lives a modest life”, said Dmitri’s neighbor who lived in an old block of flats on str.  Matei Basarab in the capital.

There was nobody in Dmitri Vartic’s house and nobody answered the home phone this week.  

Last ordinance, three days before resignation

Other 4 decisions were taken in 2012 following the same example, but comprised higher sums of money: 400 million dollars for the ordinance issued on April 27, 2012 (case No. 2p/o-1104/12); 500 million on July 24, 2012 (case no.2p/o – 1267/2012) and other 500 million dollars on October 10, 2012 (case No.2p/o1431/2012). Also, on December 18, 2012, one month after he tendered his resignation from the judiciary, Gasca signed an ordinance based on which an off-shore company got 500 million dollars.

On December 21, 2012, three days later, the president Nicolae Timofti signed the decree on Gasca’s resignation from the judiciary.  This happened in the period when the Disciplinary Board examined the request submitted against the judge who requested the sanctioning of Gasca for tergiversating the examination of an emergency case (the claimer invoked a serious disease he suffered– n.r.).

The judge ordered that the first meeting at the court on this case to take place 4 months later after the request was filed at the court and in conditions when all 5 ordinances on cases of money laundering were issued 4 days after the requests were filed to the court.

Valeriu Gasca sanctioned 4 times

As of 2010 to 2012, when he resigned from the judiciary, the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Council of Magistrate (CSM) ordered 4 times the sanctioning of Valeriu Gasca for vicious activity. In a case, on October 21, 2011 they proposed his dismissal for violations (judging a trial based on photocopies– n.r.), but each time, Gasca was saved by members of CSM.

As of June 2013, Valeriu Gisca is lawyer with license obtained under a court decision after the Commission for licensing of attorneys declined to issue license to the former magistrate, relying on the characteristics coming from CSM.

Ex-judge said that he did not violate any legal norm when he issued those orders, because he judged based on documents completed “at the highest level" and the interests of the Republic of Moldova were not affected by this transaction.

Victor Orandas - 1,48 billion dollars

Former judge at the Commercial District Court Victor Orandas is the second in the list of issuing ordinances signed on cased of money laundering. He has been recently dismissed and he signed three ordinances amounted at 1,48 billion dollars.

Orandas signed the first ordinance to cash 400 million dollars on March 12, 2012 (case no. 2po-58/12), on the day when the request to summoning was filed by  „Seabon Limited” from Great Britain against  „BN-Proalim” SRL from Chisinau, company with accounts in „Moldindconbank”, and against 4 companies from Russia, two of them-the companies  „Дмитровская энергетическая компания” and „Энергоремсервис”, exactly in the same period, in March 2012 took possession of 4,64% shares at Banca de Economii.  

The transfer of shares to these Russian companies was regarded as raider attack over the bank. The deputy-governor of the National Bank issued the permission of ownership quota of participation of the 2 Russian societies, together with other two based on ordinances issued by Orandas and Natalia Plugaru.

On November 6 2012, Orandas got a request of half of millions of dollars and two days later, on November 8, the request was completed (case No. 2po-574/12). The intermediary from the Republic of Moldova was Vladimir Cazacinschi from Codru, a suburb of the capital.

A sum of other 580 million lei was laundered based on the ordinance of Orandas on April 5, 2013 (case no. 2po-188/13). „Mirabax Investments” from Edinburgh addressed in court 3 days before, against Tatiana Radu from the small town Codru, suburb of Chisinau and against 4 Russian and one American company.

Company „Mirabax Investments” is associated with the name of the controversial businessman Veaceslav Platon, shadow owner of  „Moldindconbank”, responsible of money laundering in Russian company.

Company „Mirabax Investments” was registered in similar money laundering schemes through the judiciary since 2007. At that time, Ukrainian citizens were used instead of Moldovan citizens.

In 2008, during some searches at the offices of the company „Moldprotectplant”, known as belonging to Veaceslav Platon, there were discovered seals of many off-shore companies, including „Mirabax Investments”. In August current year, the company, placed on str. Bucuresti 67 in Chisinau was on fire.

On 13 November, the Director (fictive - no) "Mirabax Investments", the Cypriot Marios Papantoniou filed a request for delisting the company from the Register of Companies in the UK.

„SIS and CNA were well informed about these transfers”

Victor Orandas is the only judge involved in  „Russian money laundering”. He was dismissed from the judiciary for these actions on November 3 current year at the request of the Service of Information and Security (SIS).

„I am the only one sanctioned, because I am supposed to be involved in transfers of millions. I can assure you that based on these ordinances; the state budget has not suffered at all. SIS and CNA knew very well about these transfers, because these institutions are immediately informed about any transfer higher than 500 thousands lei through Moldovan banks”, said Orandas.

The judge said that the transactions of hundreds of million did not seem dubious as he got used to judging cases with millions of money.

„I realized that these Russian companies reached an understanding, they had means and they selected the Republic of Moldova because the state fee is smaller. So do many economic units. The debtor acknowledged the debt, there were the documents, what could I do?”, explained Orandas and he pointed out that he judged all cases based on original documents that were withdrawn before issuing the ordinance and replaced by copies, because this is in line with the law.

„If someone speaks about money laundering at present, they should prove it. If CNA and SIS did not know what happened, do you think that the judges know it? We are not entitled to make investigations. I had not the right to ask whose money is this and where it was taken”, said the magistrate.