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Sheriff is a company based in Tiraspol, Transnistria, a break-away republic in the Republic of Moldova. It owns a chain of petrol stations, a chain of supermarkets, a TV channel, a publishing house, a construction company, a Mercedes-Benz dealer, an advertising agency, a spirits factory, a few bread factories, a casino, a mobile phone network, the football club FC Sheriff Tiraspol and its newly built stadium and sport complex, which costed an estimate $200 million and includes a five-star hotel. The name came from the two founders of the company, who were previously Soviet police officers.
According to BBC, Sheriff enjoys advantages from the Transnistrian government, including tax breaks and the right to use hard currency (instead of Transnistrian roubles like the other companies). The owner is believed to be the son of president Igor Smirnov, Vladimir Smirnov, who Washington Times names "the major silent partner" in Sheriff. Both Vladimir Smirnov and Igor Smirnov vehemently deny this.
According to Moldova's Jurnal de Chişinău, it is claimed that the Sheriff company might be a money laundering scheme, used by Vladimir Smirnov (who is also the head of the Transnistrian customs) to cover the money obtained from trafficking of cigarettes, arms, drugs and alcohol. Sheriff has denied this, calling it a fabrication and Moldovan "black propaganda".
References
- BBC: "Misery in a pariah state", April 1, 2004
- Washington Times: "Hotbed of weapons deals", January 18, 2004