Ilan Shor

Ilan Shor
Shor in 2019
President of the Victory Bloc
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 April 2024
President of the Șor Party
In office
19 June 2016 – 19 June 2023
Preceded byValerii Klimenko (as President of the Equality Socio-Political Movement)
Member of the Moldovan Parliament
In office
9 March 2019 – 27 April 2023
Parliamentary groupȘor Party
ConstituencyOrhei
Majority17,968 (59.2%)
Mayor of Orhei
In office
1 July 2015 – 9 April 2019
Preceded byVitalie Colun
Succeeded byPavel Verejanu
Personal details
Born (1987-03-06) 6 March 1987 (age 37)
Tel Aviv, Israel
CitizenshipMoldovan
Israeli[1]
Russian[2][3][4]
Political partyȘor Party
Other political
affiliations		Chance. Duties. Realization
SpouseSara Shor
Children2
OccupationBusinessman, banker, politician

Ilan Shor (or Șor;[5] Hebrew: אילן שור;[6] born 6 March 1987) is an Israeli-born Moldovan pro-Russian[7] oligarch[8] and politician. Shor was a key figure in the 2014 Moldovan bank fraud scandal, where approximately $1 billion was transferred out of Moldovan banks for loans that would not be repaid,[9] resulting in a total loss equivalent to 12% of Moldova's GDP and the arrest of former Prime Minister Vlad Filat.[10] In June 2017, he was sentenced to 7.5 years of prison in absentia for fraud and money laundering and on 14 April 2023 his sentence was increased to 15 years. All of Shor's Moldovan assets were also frozen.[11] After spending time under house arrest he fled to Israel in 2019, where he lived until 2024.[12] He resides in Russia,[13] a country whose citizenship he received in 2024.[14]

On 26 October 2022, the United States sanctioned him due to his working with "corrupt oligarchs and Moscow-based entities to create political unrest in Moldova".[15] The United Kingdom and European Union have also sanctioned Shor.[16] His pro-Russian party, the Șor Party, was banned by the Constitutional Court of Moldova on 19 June 2023 after months of protests organized by his party. According to the court, these protests were designed to destabilize Moldova and foment a coup in order to install a pro-Russian government.[17][18] The Constitutional Court revoked the ban on 27 March 2024.[19]

  1. ^ "Profile: Ilan Shor". rise.md.
  2. ^ "Oligarhul fugar Ilan Şor a obţinut cetăţenia rusă: 'Am depus documentele, am primit paşaportul'" [The fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor obtained Russian citizenship: 'I submitted the documents, I received the passport']. digi24.ro (in Romanian). 16 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Oligarhul fugar Ilan Şor anunţă că a obţinut cetăţenia rusă. El e considerat principalul instrument al Rusiei pentru a răsturna ordinea constituțională din Republica Moldova" [The fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor announces that he has obtained Russian citizenship. He is considered the main tool of Russia to overthrow the constitutional order in the Republic of Moldova]. g4media.ro (in Romanian). 16 May 2024.
  4. ^ Benea, Radu (16 May 2024). "Republica Moldova. Fugarul Ilan Șor susține că a primit cetățenia rusă" [Republic of Moldova Fugitive Ilan Shor claims to have received Russian citizenship]. Europa Liberă România (in Romanian).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference whewell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "N12 - מולדובה: חשש לגל אנטישמיות בשל משפט המיליונר" [N12 - Moldova: fear of a wave of anti-Semitism due to the millionaire's trial]. mako.co.il (in Hebrew). 18 May 2015.
  7. ^ Надія Клочко (2022-10-26). "Проросійська партія Молдови і співачка Жасмін. США оголосили про нові санкції" [The pro-Russian party of Moldova and the singer Jasmin. The USA announced new sanctions]. glavcom.ua (in Ukrainian). Главком.
  8. ^ "Moldova Seeks Arrest of Convicted Oligarch Ilan Shor". balkaninsight.com. 26 July 2019.
  9. ^ "The great Moldovan bank robbery". bbc.com. BBC News. 18 June 2015.
  10. ^ Kottasova, Ivana (2015-05-07). "How to steal $1 billion in three days - May. 7, 2015". money.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  11. ^ "Oligarch sentenced for role in stealing $1B from Moldovan banks". AP News. Associated Press. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  12. ^ Higgins, Andrew (2023-09-24). "Cash, Mules and Paid Protests: How a Fraudster Seized an Ethnic Enclave". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  13. ^ Călugăreanu, Vitalie (February 15, 2024). "Analiză: Rusia refuză extrădarea lui Șor în Moldova" [Analysis: Russia refuses to extradite Shor to Moldova]. Deutsche Welle (in Romanian). Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference etv1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Siegal, Tobias (2022-10-26). "US sanctions Israeli citizen for promoting Kremlin agenda in Moldova". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  16. ^ Sokol, Sam (2023-05-30). "European Union Follows U.S., Britain in Imposing Sanctions on Israeli-Moldovan Politician". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  17. ^ "Moldovan court bans pro-Russian party Sor". bbc.com. BBC News. 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  18. ^ Gavin, Gabriel (2023-06-19). "Pro-Russian party banned in Moldova after coup warnings". Politico. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  19. ^ "Moldovan court revokes Sor ban". Reuters.com. 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-27.