The National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) hosted, from 5 to 7 May 2026, the country visit of experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It took place within the framework of the second cycle of evaluation of the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the evaluating states being Serbia and Ukraine, with the support of the UNODC Secretariat. The current cycle examined the provisions of Chapter II - "Preventive measures" and Chapter V - "Asset recovery", two essential areas for strengthening the state's capacities to prevent and combat corruption, including the phenomenon of cross-border corruption.

In his introductory speech, the director of the NAC, Alexandr Pînzari, emphasized that, for the Republic of Moldova, the process of accession to the European Union represents a transformation of the legal system. "In this context, the expert assessment is the test that demonstrates that our anti-corruption system is ready to implement European standards. A central pillar of our strategy is the priority given to preventing corruption. We focus our efforts on essential mechanisms such as anti-corruption education, rigorous expertization of normative acts and the assessment of institutional integrity. These measures, together with the constant monitoring of public policies, are the foundation on which we build an administration resistant to the phenomenon of corruption," said the head of the NAC.

During the three days of technical consultations, international experts met with representatives of key institutions responsible for preventing and combating corruption, strengthening institutional integrity and recovering criminal assets. These include representatives of the specialized departments within the National Anti-corruption Centre, as well as the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the Prosecutor General's Office, the National Integrity Authority, the State Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Accounts, the Central Electoral Commission, the Office for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering, and the National Bank of Moldova. Representatives of civil society and investigative media also participated in the discussions.

The discussions focused on the efficiency of corruption prevention mechanisms, integrity in the public sector, transparency of administrative processes and public procurement, the independence of the judiciary, as well as international cooperation in the field of identification, seizure, and criminal assets recovery. The NAC highlighted the measures implemented to strengthen integrity policies, in accordance with international standards.

The assessment exercise is mandatory for all signatory states to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and aims to examine how international provisions are implemented in national legislation and practice. The results of the assessment will be included in a country report prepared by UN experts, which will contain recommendations for the further development of national anti-corruption and asset recovery mechanisms.
 

The Chisinau Court, Buiucani, found a courier who was unofficially working in the interests of a political party guilty of providing means or instruments to knowingly accept financing of the political party from an organized criminal group.

The court set a sentence of 4 years in prison, with the execution of the sentence in a semi-closed penitentiary, with the deprivation of the right to hold positions within political parties for a period of 4 years.

Until the final sentence is rendered, the preventive measure - preventive arrest - was maintained for the defendant.

At the same time, the court ordered the special confiscation of the defendant's account for the benefit of the state of the amount of 1,500,000 lei and 41,100 dollars.

According to the evidence accumulated by the National Anti-corruption Centre, jointly with the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, the accused, acting according to a criminal scheme established in advance and coordinated in advance with vice-presidents of the political party, acting unofficially as a courier, allegedly sent from a bag containing several bags of money to the secretary and vice-president of the territorial organization of the political party in the Rîșcani sector of Chișinău municipality a bag with the amount of 1,500,000 lei. Subsequently, they divided the money into smaller amounts and sent it to the representatives of the territorial organization and primary organizations of the party in the Rîșcani territorial office.

According to the same scheme, the accused allegedly sent the vice-president of the Balti territorial office of the political party funds in the total amount of 41,100 dollars, equivalent to 788,709 lei, money intended for paying the people mobilized by the Balti territorial organization of the party to participate in the protests organized by the political party in the Chisinau municipality, including in tents. Subsequently, the money was divided into smaller amounts and sent to the coordinators of the primary organizations of the party in the Balti territorial office.

Note: A person accused of committing a crime shall be presumed innocent until his guilt is established by a final court decision.
 

The Chisinau Court, Buiucani seat, pronounced the sentence in a criminal case regarding the commission of the crimes of abuse of office and embezzlement of foreign assets. The court found one person guilty of committing the crime of abuse of office and two counts of embezzlement of foreign assets, establishing, through partial accumulation of the sentences, a sentence of 14 years in prison, to be served in a closed-type penitentiary, as well as deprivation of the right to manage commercial, public or other non-state organizations for a period of 5 years. In this regard, the preventive measure - preventive arrest, was maintained, with the maintenance of the previously ordered search measures.

Another defendant was found guilty of committing the crime of abuse of office, but was released from criminal punishment due to the statute of limitations for criminal liability. In the case of the third defendant, the court established that he committed the crimes of abuse of office and embezzlement of other people's property in a state of irresponsibility, being acquitted of criminal liability, with the application of a medical coercive measure - hospitalization in a psychiatric institution with regular supervision.

The court admitted the civil actions of four injured parties, ordering the collection, from the account of the three defendants, for their benefit, of the equivalent of the total amount of over 23,000 euros. At the same time, the court admitted the civil action filed by another injured party and ordered the collection, from the account of the defendant sentenced to prison, for its benefit, of the material damage in the amount of 12,000 euros, of the default interest in the amount of 12,270.10 euros (expressed in national currency at the official exchange rate of the Moldovan leu valid on the date of enforcement), of the moral damage in the amount of 50,000 lei, as well as of the expenses for legal assistance in the amount of 10,000 lei.

The court also ordered the collection from the account of the defendants, for the benefit of the state, of the judicial expenses related to the carrying out of the expertise, in a total amount of 17,525.12 lei. According to the evidence administered by the National Anti-corruption Centre and the Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office, during the period 2012–2016, one of the defendants, acting as an administrator of limited liability companies, together with an accomplice and with the involvement of other persons, allegedly committed crimes of embezzlement of assets in particularly large proportions and abuse of office, within the management of real estate projects in the municipality of Chisinau.

The defendants allegedly took control of a commercial company and initiated the collection of financial means from investors – individuals and legal entities – by concluding investment contracts for the construction of residential blocks. Although the projects were approved in a certain form, they allegedly ordered the performance of unauthorized works, including additional floors to the buildings and the modification of the purpose of some spaces, contrary to the project documentation and legal norms in construction.

At the same time, to achieve the criminal intentions, unapproved project documentation was allegedly used, with data on unauthorizedly constructed premises being entered into the cadastral records, and investment contracts for these premises subsequently registered.

As a result of the illegal actions, dozens of unfounded investment contracts were concluded, including for unauthorizedly constructed floors, causing damage to investors. The total amount of financial means attracted from individuals and legal entities exceeds 11.6 million lei.

The sentence can be appealed to the Central Court of Appeal within 15 days.

Note: The person accused of committing a crime shall be presumed innocent as long as his guilt is not established by a final court decision.
 

The Chisinau Court, Buiucani, has pronounced the sentence of conviction regarding a former bailiff, found guilty of committing the crime of abuse of power.

The court established a sentence in the form of imprisonment for a term of 4 years, of which 2 years were to be served in a semi-closed penitentiary, and the remaining 2 years were suspended for a probationary period of 3 years. At the same time, he was imposed a complementary punishment consisting of the deprivation of the right to hold public office and to exercise activities in the public sphere for a term of 5 years.

Another defendant was found guilty of the crime of complicity in abuse of power, and was sentenced to 2 years in prison, of which 1 year was to be served in a semi-closed prison, and 1 year was suspended on a 2-year probationary period. He was also given the additional penalty of deprivation of the right to hold public office and to exercise activities in the public sphere for a period of 3 years.

The second accomplice was found guilty under the same legal provisions, and the court imposed a penalty in the form of a fine of 75,000 lei for the benefit of the state, as well as the mandatory additional penalty of deprivation of the right to hold public office and to exercise activities in the public sphere for a period of 2 years.

The civil action filed by the injured parties against the former bailiff, regarding the compensation of material and moral damage and legal assistance expenses, was partially admitted. The court ordered the collection of the material damage from his account, as well as the amount of 50,000 lei as moral damage and 7,000 lei for legal assistance expenses. The seizure applied during the criminal investigation phase was maintained.

According to the evidence accumulated by the National Anti-corruption Centre and the Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the former bailiff allegedly implemented a plan through which public auctions were organized in a flawed manner, so that a debtor's property was sold at a price well below the real market value.

During the enforcement procedure, although the debt was relatively small and partially paid, the seizure of an apartment that represented the debtor's only real estate was ordered, while other less prejudicial legal options were ignored. At the same time, the information obligations regarding the conciliation of the parties or the instalment payment of the debt were not respected.

The property was valued without an effective on-site verification, and this valuation was the basis for setting low starting prices at the auctions. The first two auctions were organized under conditions that led to their failure, and at the third auction the price was considerably reduced.

One of the accomplices, a close relative of the executor, had the role of coordinating and facilitating the participation of the persons involved in the scheme. He identified and convinced a person to formally participate in the auction, ensured their presence and the payment of the amounts required for registration, thus creating the appearance of a real competition. During the auction, the same accomplice acted as the final adjudicator, obtaining the property at a price well below market value.

The second accomplice had the role of an intermediary, accepting to subsequently appear as the owner of the property. He concluded a formal sale-purchase contract, without being the real beneficiary, contributing to the concealment of the true destination of the asset and the concealment of the real circuit of the property.

To ensure the conduct of the auction, a fictitious participant was also used, instructed to bid formally and withdraw later, so that the result could be controlled.

The sentence can be appealed to the Central Court of Appeal within 15 days.

Note: The person accused of committing a crime shall be presumed innocent as long as his guilt is not established by a final court decision.
 

The National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC), under the leadership of the Bălți Municipal Prosecutor's Office, has announced the detention of the head of the Ocnița Environmental Protection Inspectorate and two senior inspectors, targeted in several cases of passive corruption.

According to preliminary materials, decision-makers and employees of the institution allegedly accepted and received illicit financial means systematically from transporters, firewood traders and foresters responsible for certain sectors of the forest fund. In exchange for these amounts, they allegedly avoided documenting and sanctioning illegal deforestation activities in the forests and forest strips in the region.  

At the same time, other prejudicial facts were found during the criminal investigation, and six more distinct criminal cases for passive corruption were initiated. On May 5, 2026, the NAC officers, together with prosecutors from the Balti Prosecutor's Office, Main Office, conducted searches, as a result of which the three individuals were detained for 72 hours.

The National Anti-corruption Centre states that investigations into the case continue to establish all the circumstances and identify all the individuals involved.

We remind that any person shall be presumed innocent until a final and irrevocable court decision is rendered.