"Banca de Economii" case: Two persons sentenced to 9 and 5 years in prison, respectively, for committing the crimes of fraud and money laundering

The Chisinau Court, Buiucani, has sentenced a beneficial owner of a company for committing the crime of money laundering in particularly large proportions and an administrator – for committing the crimes of fraud and money laundering in particularly large proportions. The first defendant was sentenced to 5 years in prison, a sentence that will be implemented after the sentence becomes final. The seizure of his assets was also maintained.

The second defendant was sentenced, by partial cumulation of the sentences, to 9 years in prison, with the sentence to be served from the moment of detention. The preventive measure - preventive arrest was maintained. In addition, he was banned from exercising activities in the field of asset management for a period of 5 years.

At the same time, the court admitted the civil action filed by the representative of S.A. "Banca de Economii", ordering the collection, jointly and severally, from the account of both defendants of the amount of 1,460,660 lei, as material damage.

The aforementioned case was dissociated from the main criminal case in 2023 and was referred to justice in February 2025. According to the evidence presented in court, accumulated by the National Anti-corruption Centre and the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, the defendants, acting together with other persons (investigated separately), allegedly obtained through fraud from B.C. "Banca de Economii" S.A. in 2011, a loan worth 4,400,000 lei.

After obtaining the loan, the defendants, knowing that the beneficiary companies did not intend to honour their commitments under a fictitious contract, allegedly ensured the transfer of the total amount of 1,460,660 lei from their accounts to other companies. Subsequently, this money was allegedly withdrawn in cash by one of the defendants.

Although the defendants denied committing the acts throughout the trial, the court assessed the evidence administered and established their guilt.

The sentence is not final, it can be challenged by appeal to the Central 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.