THE shenanigans of a tiny group of politicians and businesspeople in Europe’s poorest country are never going to make headlines elsewhere. But if they turn their sorely ill-governed state into a failed one, that could change fast. The country is “a ticking time bomb”, says Alina Inayeh, the head of the Black Sea Trust, an organisation that promotes regional co-operation. If it blows up, says a minister who asked for anonymity, “people will come on the streets and Russia will capture Moldova.”
On October 29th a coalition of so-called “pro-European” parties collapsed after the arrest of Vlad Filat, a former prime minister and party leader. Ilan Shor, a businessman and politician, claimed Mr Filat had extorted $ 260m in bribes from him. Mr Filat denied the claim.
Mr Filat is one of the country’s two main warring tycoon-businessmen, but many see his arrest as selective justice. His arch-rival, Vlad Plahotniuc, controls the other main “pro-European” party. “The justice system is practically in the hands of one party and person,” laments the minister. Mr Plahotniuc emphatically denies having anything to do with the arrest….
