BEM case: Two individuals, investigated by the NAC and APO, sentenced to 9 and 5 years in prison, respectively, for causing damage of 4.4 million lei

The Chisinau Court, Buiucani, found two individuals guilty of committing the crimes of money laundering in particularly large proportions and fraud in large proportions, acts resulting in causing material damage estimated at 4.4 million lei.

The court ordered, in respect of one of the defendants, by partial cumulation of the sentences, a sentence of 9 years in prison, with the deprivation of the right to carry out activities in the field of property management for a period of 5 years. The second defendant, found guilty of committing the crime of money laundering, was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

The preventive measure – preventive arrest – was maintained for both defendants, and they were put on the wanted list.

The civil action filed by SA “Banca de Economii” was also admitted, and the amount of 200,000 lei was ordered to be collected jointly from the defendants’ account, as compensation for material damage.

According to the evidence accumulated by the National Anti-corruption Centre, jointly with the Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office, a group of individuals, acting in collusion with the administrator and founder of some companies, as well as with other individuals against whom legal proceedings are currently being conducted, fraudulently obtained, in December 2011, from SA “Banca de Economii”, a loan worth 4,400,000 lei.

Subsequently, the funds were appropriated through various criminal schemes, causing the financial institution significant damage.

At the same time, the persons concerned, pursuing the purpose of money laundering by methods of concealing and disguising the origin of the funds in the amount of 4,400,000 lei, transferred them under fictitious business contracts to the bank accounts of several companies. From there, the money was withdrawn in cash by the accomplices in the crime, including by the defendants in the respective case.

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 of conviction.