'Democracy and rule of law has a hard road in Moldova'

The Russian mafia once targeted Andrei Nastase for exposing corruption. Now he wants to bring his country into the EU

- KIM SENGUPTA

Andrei Nastase became a marked man due to his role in exposing a criminal network run by the Russian mafia and shady powerful oligarchs who had laundered a staggering $22bn (£17bn) of illicit money.

Guns were fired near the lawyer and former prosecutor’s family home in the Moldovan capital Chisinau; a hidden camera was later discovered planted inside the house. Cars with number plates from Transnistria, a Russian enclave, followed him daily. His wife and children were harassed, as was his brother Vasile, a journalist and former MP.

Doctors suspected Nastase was the victim of poisoning when five times the normal level of mercury was found in his blood after he became suddenly ill. He decided, after recovery, to send his wife and children out of the country for their safety.

The family were separated for eight months in 2012, with Nastase and other pro-democracy activists facing constant pressure during the turbulence still present after more than a decade of independence from the Soviet Union. The reformers continued to fight back. In 2018, Nastase stood for, and won, the mayoral election for Chisinau, beating the pro-Russian candidate Ion Ceban.

The election, however, was declared invalid by the courts on a technicality. Nastase had campaigned on election day in an alleged violation of rules. The decision led to prolonged street protests and extensive criticism from the US administration and the European Union, with Brussels suspending a €100m (£84m) aid package to Moldova as a punishment.

Moldova’s Court of Appeal eventually overturned Nastase’s ban and reinstated him as Chisinau’s mayor. He was, however, serving as interior minister by then in the liberal cabinet led by prime minister (now president) Maia Sandu. He went on to become deputy prime minister but the government later fell, having lost a vote of no confidence. Sandu became president after winning the election in 2021.