PPDA leader Andrei Nastase confirmed in October 2016 that behind the appointment of PAS President Maia Sandu, as a single candidate for the right-wing forces in the Presidential election, stayed mafia clans.

This results from an audio interception between Nastase and Vice-President PPDA Alexandru Slusari, recently published by the time.md portal.

The discussion between the two took place immediately after the PPDA leader had to withdraw from the race in favor of Maia Sandu.

"But the most ugly thing is that, Sasha, the big problem, that the decision is taken between the bandits, the bandits from the place and the outside bandits".

In the same audio record, Alexandru Slusari urged his party chief to publish the information he holds related to people from abroad who were behind Maia Sandu.

In turn, Andrei Nastase said he would tell the truth, but later, because the so-called support for Maia Sandu will help the PPDA in the Parliamentary elections. The authenticity of the interception that appeared in the press in October 2016 was confirmed by both Nastase and Slusari. 

The latest investigation by journalists at zeppelin.md shows that the decision to designate the PAS leader as the only right-wing candidate for the 2016 presidential election was taken by CIS No.1 raider Veaceslav Platon.

He would have set up a scheme whereby an American consultant, Noel Boxer, provided Maia Sandu with political counseling in the election campaign. The specialist was paid by Platon from the money obtained from the Russian Laundromat and "Moldovan billion theft" with 12 thousand dollars a month during July - November 2016, before the presidential elections.

The sum, at least 60 thousand dollars, was not declared by the Party of Action and Solidarity at the CEC. Zeppelin also writes that PR was mediated by Dmitri lobbyist and David Zaikin, born in the USSR, who emigrated to Canada in 1990.

The scheme also involved the wedding bride of Andrei Năstase, the fugitive Victor Topa, who is hiding in Frankfurt by Moldovan justice.