American lobbyists of Plahotniuc
On 11 May 2018, The Observer published the article “Why Did the US Ambassador to Germany Defend a Human Trafficker?”, by John R. Schindler. The author is a security expert and former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer, specialist in espionage and terrorism. The article addresses the relationship between the newly appointed US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, and the Moldovan oligarch and dictator, Vladimir Plahotniuc.
We insert the most relevant fragments below, along with more information on the American lobbyists at the service of Plahotniuc.
To anyone versed in Moldova’s nasty and obscure politics — not a large group in America — Grenell was going to bat for Vladimir Plahotniuc, the most powerful political player in Moldova, not to mention the country’s wealthiest oligarch.
In the summer of 2016, Plahotniuc’s charmed life as his country’s “most feared tycoon” (in the words of the New York Times, which termed him “Moldova’s most-feared figure, a nominally pro-Western tycoon with a reputation so toxic that even his political friends usually try to keep their distance in public”) hit a rough patch when Mihail Gofman, the country’s anti-corruption czar, went public. Seeking safety in America, Gofman explained to the FBI how Plahotniuc oversaw the theft of $1 billion from Moldova’s state treasury — one-eighth of the country’s annual GDP — then laundered it with Kremlin help. Gofman’s fears for his future were well founded. When Moldova’s former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, a sincere Kremlin opponent, denounced Plahotniuc for his role in the billion-dollar-theft, he was arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison, reputedly on Plahotniuc’s orders.
Gofman’s account, which confirmed what many Western intelligence agencies suspected, exploded Plahotniuc’s carefully crafted myth of being “pro-Western” as head of the Democratic Party of Moldova, which manages to control the country’s politics, despite never getting even one-fifth of the votes in any election. In fact, Plahotniuc — termed “Moldova’s Donald Trump” — is deeply in bed with Russian organized crime, specifically the notorious Solntsevo Brotherhood led by Semyon Mogilevich, according to INTERPOL.
It’s worth asking why Grenell developed a sudden and passionate need to defend Vlad Plahotniuc. Presumably this wasn’t an act of charity, but Grenell has failed to disclose what motivated his spirited public defense of Moldova’s top oligarch-cum-crime boss. His financial disclosure forms submitted for his appointment as ambassador to Berlin reveal that over the past year Grenell made $688,362 from Capitol Media Partners, i.e. for political consulting. For whom, however, is unclear.
Yet there is a clue lurking in the list of entities which Grenell made more than $5,000 from, namely Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates. A legendary Republican political operative, Art Finkelstein played a role in Ronald Reagan’s rise to the White House, and subsequently plied his trade around the world. Finkelstein and Grenell were close, with the former serving as a mentor to the latter. Finkelstein’s firm also did work in Moldova as recently as 2014, and is known by Western intelligence to possess links to Plahotniuc. However, Art Finkelstein died last summer and isn’t available to explain what Ric Grenell did for him to receive payment in excess of $5,000.
This is an important matter since Plahotniuc isn’t just a corrupt oligarch who stands plausibly accused of robbing his impoverished country blind. He’s also a human trafficker, in fact the leading one in Moldova. INTERPOL admitted his role in human trafficking in 2012, based on an Italian request. Although Plahotniuc has never been charged with this crime, this isn’t surprising given the influence he possesses over Moldova’s highly corrupt judiciary.
What Plahotniuc really is represents one of the worst-kept secrets in Eastern Europe. His criminal enterprises are well known to Western intelligence and police agencies. If Ambassador Grenell went to bat for Plahotniuc for money, the American public deserves to know how much and from whom. This should have been unmasked during Grenell’s Senate confirmation process. Why it was not should be asked as well.
The list below reveals the American lobby companies (known to date), which signed contracts with the Democratic Party of Moldova (Plahotniuc) for whitewashing the Moldovan oligarch. Please notice that all the contracts have been paid after the heist of the century (the embezzlement of one billion dollars from the National Reserves of Moldova), which is largely self-explanatory. Plahotniuc is deemed the beneficiary of that unprecedented theft. This is how stolen money becomes a "geopolitical argument".
1. Podesta Group, 27 July 2016, contract amount unknown, link here;
2. Cogent Strategies LLS, 29 December 2017
Prime Policy Group, contractual amount $120,000 (known), link here;
3. Burson-Marsteller, March 2017, contract amount unknown, link here;
4. Cornerstone Government Affairs, 28 June 2017, contract amount $480,000 (partly), link here;
5. Podesta Group, 27 July 2017, contract amount $600,000 and $480,000 (partly), link here;
6. Prime Policy Group, 29 December 2017, contract amount $40,000 (known), link here.
It is noteworthy that some of the lobby contracts (e.g. with Cogent Strategies LLS) were signed by Cristina Balan, deputy chairman of Plahotniuc's "Democratic Party", recently appointed as Moldovan Ambassador to Washington [links here and here]. Other contracts were signed by Constantin Botnari, alias "Borsetka", the closest crony of Plahotniuc and "Secretary General" of his pocket "Democratic Party". Mr Botnari was wiretapped instructing the party's members to support the pro-Russian candidate for presidency, Igor Dodon, although Plahotniuc was fooling the EU and US with his ostensible support of pro-European candidates [link here].
On 22 June 2018, Heather Nauert, on behalf of the US Department of State, issued a statement, "Transparency in the Chisinau Mayoral Race", as if there were any issue with the transparency* (they have seemingly used a wrong template for official statements). Not a single word about the real problem ― the egregious judiciary outrage. Is it "acting in good faith but severely misinformed" or "well informed and in bad faith"?
The US Department has completely missed the point. The open question is whether deliberately or by blatant incompetence? Here the influence of the Plahotniuc's poodle at Washington, Cristina Balan (the newly appointed Moldovan ambassador to the US) kicks in.
Cristina Balan is the deputy chairman of the Plahotniuc's Democratic Party and his personal guide to Washington, former director of numerous Plahotniuc's businesses. On 14 June 2018, a week before the absurd Statement on Moldova, she presented the letters of accreditation to the US Deputy Head of Protocol, Katherine Henderson, and on 23 June to President Trump.
It is tempting to pay with the US reputation for the US ambassador's personal comfort in the relationship with the dictator of a country, in which the ambassador is accredited. This is the case of Moldova.
We insert the most relevant fragments below, along with more information on the American lobbyists at the service of Plahotniuc.
Why the US Ambassador to Germany defends Plahotniuc
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| Richard Grenell, US Ambassador to Germany |
In the summer of 2016, Plahotniuc’s charmed life as his country’s “most feared tycoon” (in the words of the New York Times, which termed him “Moldova’s most-feared figure, a nominally pro-Western tycoon with a reputation so toxic that even his political friends usually try to keep their distance in public”) hit a rough patch when Mihail Gofman, the country’s anti-corruption czar, went public. Seeking safety in America, Gofman explained to the FBI how Plahotniuc oversaw the theft of $1 billion from Moldova’s state treasury — one-eighth of the country’s annual GDP — then laundered it with Kremlin help. Gofman’s fears for his future were well founded. When Moldova’s former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, a sincere Kremlin opponent, denounced Plahotniuc for his role in the billion-dollar-theft, he was arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison, reputedly on Plahotniuc’s orders.
Gofman’s account, which confirmed what many Western intelligence agencies suspected, exploded Plahotniuc’s carefully crafted myth of being “pro-Western” as head of the Democratic Party of Moldova, which manages to control the country’s politics, despite never getting even one-fifth of the votes in any election. In fact, Plahotniuc — termed “Moldova’s Donald Trump” — is deeply in bed with Russian organized crime, specifically the notorious Solntsevo Brotherhood led by Semyon Mogilevich, according to INTERPOL.
It’s worth asking why Grenell developed a sudden and passionate need to defend Vlad Plahotniuc. Presumably this wasn’t an act of charity, but Grenell has failed to disclose what motivated his spirited public defense of Moldova’s top oligarch-cum-crime boss. His financial disclosure forms submitted for his appointment as ambassador to Berlin reveal that over the past year Grenell made $688,362 from Capitol Media Partners, i.e. for political consulting. For whom, however, is unclear.
Yet there is a clue lurking in the list of entities which Grenell made more than $5,000 from, namely Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates. A legendary Republican political operative, Art Finkelstein played a role in Ronald Reagan’s rise to the White House, and subsequently plied his trade around the world. Finkelstein and Grenell were close, with the former serving as a mentor to the latter. Finkelstein’s firm also did work in Moldova as recently as 2014, and is known by Western intelligence to possess links to Plahotniuc. However, Art Finkelstein died last summer and isn’t available to explain what Ric Grenell did for him to receive payment in excess of $5,000.
This is an important matter since Plahotniuc isn’t just a corrupt oligarch who stands plausibly accused of robbing his impoverished country blind. He’s also a human trafficker, in fact the leading one in Moldova. INTERPOL admitted his role in human trafficking in 2012, based on an Italian request. Although Plahotniuc has never been charged with this crime, this isn’t surprising given the influence he possesses over Moldova’s highly corrupt judiciary.
What Plahotniuc really is represents one of the worst-kept secrets in Eastern Europe. His criminal enterprises are well known to Western intelligence and police agencies. If Ambassador Grenell went to bat for Plahotniuc for money, the American public deserves to know how much and from whom. This should have been unmasked during Grenell’s Senate confirmation process. Why it was not should be asked as well.
American lobbyists
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| One of the contracts with Plahotniuc, signed by the "General Secretary" of the Plahotniuc's Democratic Party, Constantin Botnari, alias "Borsetka" |
1. Podesta Group, 27 July 2016, contract amount unknown, link here;
2. Cogent Strategies LLS, 29 December 2017
Prime Policy Group, contractual amount $120,000 (known), link here;
3. Burson-Marsteller, March 2017, contract amount unknown, link here;
4. Cornerstone Government Affairs, 28 June 2017, contract amount $480,000 (partly), link here;
5. Podesta Group, 27 July 2017, contract amount $600,000 and $480,000 (partly), link here;
6. Prime Policy Group, 29 December 2017, contract amount $40,000 (known), link here.
It is noteworthy that some of the lobby contracts (e.g. with Cogent Strategies LLS) were signed by Cristina Balan, deputy chairman of Plahotniuc's "Democratic Party", recently appointed as Moldovan Ambassador to Washington [links here and here]. Other contracts were signed by Constantin Botnari, alias "Borsetka", the closest crony of Plahotniuc and "Secretary General" of his pocket "Democratic Party". Mr Botnari was wiretapped instructing the party's members to support the pro-Russian candidate for presidency, Igor Dodon, although Plahotniuc was fooling the EU and US with his ostensible support of pro-European candidates [link here].
American Ambassadors and congressmen
― "I figured out how Vladimir Plahotniuc reached to Washington. (...) Mark Gitenstein has solved many problems of Vladimir Plahotniuc." [link here] James Pettit, incumbent US Ambassador to Moldova, on 20 January 2016: ― "I know Mr. Vlad Plahotniuc. He is an influential and successful politician, and I would say that one very convincing." [link here] |
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| Vladimir Plahotniuc and James Pettit, US Ambassador to Moldova, Office of Plahotniuc's "Democratic Party", 22 March 2018 |
In the same day, the national regulator, the Audiovisual Coordinating Council (CCA), sanctioned the “Prime” Channel (part of the Plahotniuc’s media holding) for "broadcasting the speech of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, of a militarist of character, held in front of the Parliament in Moscow.” |
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| Congressman Will Hurd, the meeting of 5 April 2018 with the Moldovan oligarch and dictator Vladimir Plahotniuc (who is also a Russian citizen, Владимир Георгиевич Плахотнюк). Within this meeting, the US congressman encouraged Plahotniuc to combat Russian propaganda, broadcast in Moldova through the Plahotniuc's media holding. |
US Department of State about the municipal elections
The anti-oligarchic opposition won the elections for the capital of Moldova on 3 June 2018. All local and foreign observers confirmed the elections as fair and transparent* (this is chiefly why the regime was defeated). Then Plahotniuc commanded the judiciary to annul the results.On 22 June 2018, Heather Nauert, on behalf of the US Department of State, issued a statement, "Transparency in the Chisinau Mayoral Race", as if there were any issue with the transparency* (they have seemingly used a wrong template for official statements). Not a single word about the real problem ― the egregious judiciary outrage. Is it "acting in good faith but severely misinformed" or "well informed and in bad faith"?
 |
| The statement misses the point and addresses a non-existent issue, on purpose avoiding the real one |
The US Department has completely missed the point. The open question is whether deliberately or by blatant incompetence? Here the influence of the Plahotniuc's poodle at Washington, Cristina Balan (the newly appointed Moldovan ambassador to the US) kicks in.
Cristina Balan is the deputy chairman of the Plahotniuc's Democratic Party and his personal guide to Washington, former director of numerous Plahotniuc's businesses. On 14 June 2018, a week before the absurd Statement on Moldova, she presented the letters of accreditation to the US Deputy Head of Protocol, Katherine Henderson, and on 23 June to President Trump.
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| President Trump and Cristina Balan, the deputy chairman of the Plahotniuc's Democratic Party, his right hand in connections in Washington, and the newly appointed Moldovan ambassador to the US, on 23 June 2018. |
The after-mission of US Ambassadors to Moldova
Former US ambassador to Moldova, Asif Chauhdry, appointed into the executive board of a holding owned by Vaja Jhashi, a right hand and crony of Plahotniuc. Mr Chaudhry served as US ambassador in 2008-2011, period of raider attacks over the public or private properties, perpetrated by Plahotniuc. Although being duly informed on those egregious crimes, the US Embassy has never dropped a word about the Plahotniuc's outrages. After a short interim, Asif Chauhdry was succeeded by James Pettit (see above).It is tempting to pay with the US reputation for the US ambassador's personal comfort in the relationship with the dictator of a country, in which the ambassador is accredited. This is the case of Moldova.
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| US ex-ambassador to Moldova, Asif Chauhdry, at a party with Vladimir Plahotniuc, the Moldovan dictator. |
Plahotniuc's media
More links on Plahotniuc's media holding, covering over 80% of the Moldovan media space:- https://www.mold-street.com/?go=news&n=4262;
- https://point.md/ru/novosti/politika/general-media-group-ii-aparine-lui-plahotniuc-candu-proprietar-la-publika-prin-procura;
- http://jurnal.md/ro/politic/2015/5/18/rise-moldova-documente-care-demonstreaza-ca-general-media-group-ii-apartine-lui-plahotniuc-candu-proprietar-la-publika-prin-procura/;
- http://agora.md/stiri/44082/sanctiune-maxima-pentru-prime-tv-70-000-de-lei-pentru-incalcarea-legii-anti-propaganda;
- http://www.jurnal.md/ro/politic/2017/10/6/interpol-confirma-cetatenia-rusa-a-lui-plahotniuc-si-pasaportul-sau-rusesc-deconspirate-de-andrei-nastase/;
- http://www.ziarulnational.md/culmea-tupeului-cum-jigneste-fiul-lui-plahotniuc-posesorul-unei-masini-de-peste-un-milion-de-euro-cetatenii-r-moldova/;
- "Vlad Plahotniuc the criminal master of Moldova", https://dnipress.com/en/posts/vlad-plahotniuc-the-criminal-master-of-moldova/ of January 2018, by Jeffrey Simons.
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