Moldovan Prosecution Investigates Alleged Charity Fraud

The Moldovan Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases, PCCOCS, said on Tuesday that it has launched a criminal investigation into allegations of wrongdoing by online charity platform caritate.md.

The claims were made in a report by journalists working for RISE Moldova, a media outlet affiliated to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

"PCCOCS's investigation is far more extensive and includes the circumstances outlined in the RISE investigation," prosecutor Vitalie Busuioc told news agency IPN.

RISE Moldova's report, entitled "Money from Charity", alleged that two girls never got the surgery they were promised despite the fact that large amounts of money were donated by the public through the online charity platform to pay for their operations at a private clinic in Turkey.

Both of the girls had heart conditions and needed surgery, but the RISE Moldova report alleged that there was no genuine medical intervention, just some small incisions on their chests to make it look like they had undergone operations.

Valeria Sainsus, the co-founder of the charity platform caritate.md, has denied the allegations and strongly criticised Liuba Sevciuc, the journalist who wrote the story for RISE Moldova.

Sainsus said that she was the victim in the case and alleged that she was asked for a bribe to prevent the story from being published, although she did not present any evidence to support her statement.

In response, RISE Moldova announced that it will file a complaint to the General Prosecutor's Office about "the intimidating actions, pressure and personal attack made by caritate.md representatives against the journalists of RISE Moldova".

Seven of the main media associations for...