Officers of the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC), together with prosecutors from the Chisinau Municipal Prosecutor's Office, carried out criminal investigations today into a case of influence peddling.

According to the materials collected, a lawyer from Chisinau is suspected of having demanded and accepted financial means totaling 10,000 euros from the relatives of a convict, claiming that he would have influence over persons with public positions and that he could determine them to adopt a favorable solution regarding his release from detention.

According to the evidence administered, the suspect allegedly stated that he could intervene with decision-makers to influence the examination of the case and the issuance of a favorable decision for the benefit of the convict.

Currently, the NAC officers continue criminal investigation actions to establish all the circumstances of the case, identify any persons involved and fully document the facts investigated.

We remind that every person shall benefit from the presumption of innocence and is considered innocent until a final court decision is rendered.

Investigations into this case continue.
 

The Central Court of Balti has issued a conviction for a man found guilty of committing the crime of fraud and six episodes of influence peddling.

The court established, by partially cumulating the sentences, a final sentence in the form of imprisonment for a term of 4 years and one month. When individualizing the sentence, the court also took into account the fact that the defendant had been previously convicted by the sentence of the Balti Court of Sîngerei, dated March 31, 2021, for driving a vehicle while intoxicated to a high degree.

Until the sentence becomes final, a preventive measure in the form of preventive arrest was ordered for the defendant, and he was announced as wanted.

At the same time, the court ordered the confiscation of the funds in the amount of 121,461.46 lei, obtained illegally, from the defendant's account. The civil action filed by the injured party was also admitted, and the amount of 8,500.18 lei was ordered to be collected from the defendant's account, for its benefit, as material damage caused by the crime.

According to the evidence administered by the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC), jointly with the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (APO), during the years 2020-2021, the defendant, claiming that he had influence over public figures, members of the driver examination commissions within the Transport Registration and Driver Qualification Sections, allegedly demanded and received funds in foreign currency from seven people, equivalent to the total amount of 129,691 lei.

The money was allegedly claimed and received to encourage these individuals to take driving tests in order to obtain driving licenses.

The criminal case was sent to court in the absence of the defendant, as he evaded both the criminal prosecution and the examination of the case in court.

The sentence is not final and can be appealed to the Northern Court of Appeal within 15 days.

Note: A person accused of committing a crime shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court decision.
 

Officers of the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) and prosecutors of the Cahul Municipality Prosecutor's Office are conducting searches today in a criminal case based on alleged abusive actions committed by the Taraclia district president, in collusion with the construction commission president and a public procurement specialist.

According to the accumulated materials, the targeted individuals are suspected of rigging public procurement procedures and favoring the award of contracts to a company managed in the shadows by the construction commission head, through intermediaries. The documentation identified several episodes in which the suspects negotiated prices for certain objectives and prepared expense estimates with fictitiously increased volumes, in the interest of companies affiliated with the construction commission head. The small-value contracts mostly concerned repair works at educational institutions, and the estimated damage caused to the public budget for 2025 alone amounts to approximately 3 million lei.

At this stage, searches are being carried out in the offices, homes and cars of the suspects. They are to be investigated at liberty, and the criminal investigation continues in order to establish all the circumstances of the case, identify the entire circle of people involved and accumulate the evidence necessary to adopt a legal solution.

We remind that any person shall benefit from the presumption of innocence and is considered innocent until a final court decision is rendered.
 

The National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) presents the main actions carried out in the previous week in the field of combating and preventing corruption, as well as the recovery of criminal assets. During the reporting period, criminal investigation actions aimed at combating corruption in several key areas, resulting in detentions, searches and the application of preventive arrest warrants.

Three police officers from the Botanica Police Station, previously detained in a corruption case and placed under house arrest, are being investigated in a new case of abuse of office, being suspected of having appropriated part of the money withdrawn from a person in their custody. The Chisinau District Court, Ciocana, accepted the prosecutors' request and issued 30-day pre-trial detention warrants on their behalf, with all three being transferred to Penitentiary 13.

In the field of education, alleged acts of corruption were investigated in the process of organizing and conducting the international Certiport exams, by fraudulently facilitating the obtaining of certificates. A teacher allegedly demanded, accepted and received, through intermediaries, monetary means from several pupils and students in exchange for guaranteeing the passing of the exams and obtaining the international certificates necessary for exemption from taking the baccalaureate exam in computer science. At the same time, searches were carried out in a case of passive corruption involving persons with management positions at the Comrat State University. The individuals concerned are suspected of having demanded and received undue financial means from students to facilitate their passing of assessments and exams, without actually attending classes and without properly taking academic tests.

The NAC officers also documented the criminal actions of an expert in periodic technical inspection from Vulcănești who, taking advantage of his position, allegedly appropriated the financial means paid by taxpayers for the road use tax, the estimated damage exceeding 600,000 lei.

During the reference period, the criminal investigation officers initiated 10 new criminal cases and proposed 13 files for prosecution. Currently, 3 people are placed in the criminal investigation isolator, and 7 people, accused in the files managed by the NAC, are placed in preventive detention in two penitentiary institutions.

The Criminal Assets Recovery Agency (CARA) seized 219 assets worth about 10 million lei and took over the administration of about 1.5 million lei. Other previously applied seizures, worth about 3.8 million lei, were confirmed by the courts. At the same time, an order was issued to freeze a bank account worth 450 thousand lei, and 1.4 million lei were transferred to the state budget.

In the field of corruption prevention, the NAC submitted 23 expert reports on draft normative acts to the authors. Also, 106 integrity records were issued, 2 operational analyses were conducted, and about 300 officials participated in anti-corruption training. The National Anti-corruption Line received 34 calls, and 1,670 materials were registered in the institution's office.
 

The National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) launched two information and awareness campaigns and trained about 300 people this week. Among the beneficiaries were civil servants, students and medical professionals, with the emphasis on respecting integrity standards and preventing the phenomenon of corruption.

The first campaign, "Integrity - Security for the Border", is carried out together with the Internal Protection and Anti-Corruption Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and aims to strengthen the culture of professional integrity, prevent corruption risks and promote ethical behavior among employees in the internal affairs system.

The second campaign, "Integrity in the Eyes of Children", is aimed at young children. The NAC officers and volunteers visited the “Neptun” summer camp in Leova district, where they taught children, through games and interactive activities, what it means to be an honest and responsible citizen.

In the field of health, anti-corruption officers organized an information course for managers of medical institutions, focused on promoting integrity and strengthening corruption prevention mechanisms. The activity was carried out with the financial support of Switzerland and in partnership with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova.

Also this week, a training was held for employees of the National Centre for Sustainable Energy, with the aim of strengthening professional integrity and preventing corruption risks in institutional activity.

The National Anti-corruption Centre continues its training and awareness-raising activities, with a view to strengthening a climate of integrity in public institutions.