INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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
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
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
