The administration of the Political Party “Platform Dignity and Truth” (PPPDA) presented the party’s five initiatives aimed at de-offshorizing the national economy and the country on the whole.

In a news conference at IPN, PPPDA chairman Andrei Nastase said measures to de-offshorize the national economy are necessary because the Republic of Moldova turned into a ‘container for laundering the money of the mafia’ given that over US$30 billion was laundered to offshore areas through Moldova.

Andrei Nastase noted there are energy sector beneficiaries hidden in offshore areas, while the citizens of the Republic of Moldova pay tens of millions of lei a month to these, who form part of the Moldovan political class and the Transnistrian administration. The media sector is greatly affected by the presence of beneficiaries of TV channels in offshore areas, while the citizens of Moldova do not even know who ‘poisons’ them with 6-7 TV channels.

PPPDA deputy head Alexandru Slusari said the Republic of Moldova turned into a gray economic area, becoming a real paradise for money laundering and dubious activities of companies controlled from offshore areas. A number of important areas of the economy, such as the banking, energy, insurance and mass media sectors, are administered from offshore areas, with Moldovan oligarchs being most often the beneficiaries.

To ensure the economic security of the state, not to burden it with foreign loans and to collect significant revenues into the national public budget, the PPPDA suggests five initiatives that envision: signing by the Government of Moldova of agreements with all the offshore areas on the exchange of fiscal information; introduction of presumption of innocence for enterprises that work in Moldova and have relations with offshore areas; ensuring of shareholder transparency and banning of companies registered in offshore areas or controlled by persons from these areas from working in the banking, energy, insurance and mass media sectors; introduction of a special tax of 12% on any transaction with companies working in offshore areas and banning of participation in government procurement of companies registered in offshore areas or controlled by persons from these areas.

The administration of the PPPDA said the initiatives can be implemented by the government if there is political will. If the government does not have the necessary experience, the PPPDA can help it by drafting bills.

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