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We call for an investigation into indications that the authority responsible for combating money laundering improperly accessed the personal data of journalist Iurie Sanduța

Zinaida Savenco

The Independent Journalism Center (IJC), together with the co-signatory non-governmental organizations, denounces indications of abuse in the accessing of the personal data of journalist Iurie Sanduța by an officer of the Office for Prevention and Fight against of Money Laundering (OPFML). We also condemn the OPFML’s regrettable resistance to voluntarily complying with the court ruling that required it to inform the journalist of the reasons for accessing his personal data. We call on the OPFML to launch an internal investigation to clarify the exact circumstances in which the journalist’s data were accessed and to make its findings public.

According to the article published by RISE Moldova on October 5, 2026, the journalist’s data were accessed through the “Web-Acces” system in July 2021, approximately nine hours before the publication of “The Caste,” an investigation into cocaine trafficking and individuals connected to influential politicians. Journalist Iurie Sanduța learned about the access only a year later, from the very officer who had accessed the data. The OPFML employee told him that he was not the subject of an investigation and offered, in succession, two unofficial explanations (alleged transactions involving a Revolut card and a check of the journalist’s personal identification number, found in a colleague’s Excel document).

When asked to provide official explanations, the OPFML initially justified accessing the data with the vague phrase “for official purposes,” without any concrete explanation. It was not until 2025 that the journalist secured rulings by the Chișinău Court and the Court of Appeal requiring the institution to provide the requested information. The courts noted the absence of documents relating to the processing of the data, and the Court of Appeal found the response to be merely declarative.

In this context, we also condemn the OPFML’s shameful refusal to voluntarily comply with the court ruling requiring it to inform the journalist of the reasons for accessing his personal data. Further court intervention was needed before the institution provided, only on July 13, 2026, another explanation: ruling out a possible “identity match.”

Tolerating access to a journalist’s data without concrete and verifiable justification creates a dangerous precedent for the protection of privacy and press freedom. This case must be treated with the utmost seriousness, through effective checks and accountability for abuses. An institution’s general powers do not exempt it from the obligation to demonstrate the lawfulness, necessity, and proportionality of the interference. The lack of transparency surrounding such practices can create a sense of insecurity and discourage sources from communicating with the press, undermining journalists’ ability to document and expose matters of public interest.

In this context, we call on:

  1. The OPFML leadership to order an impartial internal investigation to clarify the grounds, purpose, and circumstances of the access to the journalist’s data, identify the individuals involved, and verify how the information was used or shared. We call for the findings of the investigation to be made public, including any measures ordered if violations are established;
  2. The Prosecutor’s Office to examine indications of misuse of access to state registers and determine whether the reported acts constitute criminal offences;
  3. The competent authorities to strengthen oversight of access to state registers through regular audits and independent mechanisms for investigating suspected abuses.

Independent Journalism Center 

Organizations that have endorsed the statement:

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