icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
22 Jul, 2009 16:32

Did Parliament candidate forge $20 million?

A group suspected of forging around $20 million of almost “perfect quality” last year have been arrested in Moldova. Former policemen, an opposition politician and a chemist are said to be involved.

The quality of the bills produced was so high that the forgery could only be detected with a special high-tech machine. Moldovan Interior Minister Georgy Papuk said there was a large net of fake money distributors, and that most of the bogus bucks were intended for the Czech Republic and Russia.

According to Papuk, $2 million of fake money have been withdrawn in the suburbs of the Moldovan capital Chisinau.

It is suspected that the criminal group was lead by a former member of the Academy of Sciences, Valentin Rimsky, who hadserved a term in prison for a similar crime in 2005. Among other suspected members of the gang are three former Interior Ministry officials, one of them, Ion Platon, now a candidate for the Moldovan parliament from the opposition alliance “Our Moldova.”

Eleven suspects have been already detained, and others are being searched for.

A special agent from the US Federal Reserve has flown in to help with the investigation.

Podcasts
0:00
23:13
0:00
25:0