Oxana Ionova was the head of the state tax service of

Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...

and director of Transnistria's central bank from 2008 to 2011. She was born in Tiraspol on 3 June 1966. She started her work in the Ministry of Interior of Transnistria in 1994 as accountant. In 1997, she was appointed head of financial and economic department of the State Customs Committee of Transnistria. In 2000 President

Igor Smirnov Igor Smirnov may refer to: *Igor Smirnov (politician) (born 1941), president of the unrecognized Transdniestrian Moldovan Republic * Igor Smirnov (scientist) (1951–2004), controversial Russian mind control researcher See also * Igor Mirnov Igo ...

appointed Ionova as the new Minister of Revenues of Transnistria. After the reform of fiscal service and abolition of the separate ministry of revenues, Ionova was appointed head of state tax service of Transnistria. In 2008 President Smirnov proposed Ionova's candidature to the Supreme Council to be appointed as director of

Transnistrian Republican Bank The Transnistrian Republican Bank (russian: Приднестровский республиканский банк, Pridnestrovskiy respublikanskiy bank) is the central bank of Transnistria. It issues its own currency, the Transnistrian rubla and ...

. Oxana Ionova was considered to be a 'purse' of Igor Smirnov and his family, a person through which money was laundered. In 2011 the Investigation Committee of the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

opened a criminal case against Ionova on a charge of embezzlement of 160 million rubles of Russian humanitarian aid. On 13 March 2012, after 2011 presidential elections in Transnistria when Igor Smirnov lost power, the Transnistrian authorities arrested Ionova on charges of embezzlement of state property, illegal business practices, abuse of power and forgery. It was reported that during search of her

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

police exempted her collection of golden coins and gold bars. Her case went to court on 11 March 2013.Case of former chief banker of Transnistria Ionova went to the court
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References

Living people 1966 births People from Tiraspol Women government ministers of Transnistria 20th-century women politicians 21st-century Moldovan women politicians {{Transnistria-stub