Former BEM Credit Committee members, investigated by the NAC and APO, sentenced to 13, 8, 7, and 5 years in prison
The Chișinău Court, Buiucani Seat, has found former members of the Credit Committee of BC "Banca de Economii" SA guilty of violating credit rules and lending policies, offenses provided for under Article 239, paragraph (2), item a) of the Criminal Code.
Through a concurrence of offenses, by partial merger of sentences, the court sentenced the former president of BC "Banca de Economii" SA to 13 years of imprisonment, to be served in a semi-closed prison facility.
Two members of the Credit Committee of BC "Banca de Economii" SA were sentenced to 8 years in prison each, serving their sentences in a semi-closed facility. Another member was sentenced to 7 years in prison, with 3 years and 6 months to be served, and the remainder suspended for a probation period of 3 years. The fifth defendant was sentenced to 5 years in prison, with a conditional suspension of execution for a 3-year probation period.
Pending the finality of the judgment, a preventive measure in the form of pre-trial detention was imposed on four of the defendants, executed immediately from the courtroom, while the fifth defendant was ordered not to leave the country.
Furthermore, they were deprived of the right to hold positions in the banking sector for a term of 5 years. The civil action was partially admitted, ordering the joint recovery from the defendants, for the benefit of the injured party BC "Banca de Economii" SA, of the material damage caused by the crime, exceeding 1.6 billion MDL.
According to evidence gathered by the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) jointly with the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (APO), between 2005 and 2012, the former president of BC "Banca de Economii" SA, together with four other members of the bank's Credit Committee, allegedly granted non-performing loans to several business entities.
The loans were granted in violation of internal rules and principles of banking prudence, lacking a real analysis of repayment capacity, based on incomplete files, for insufficiently verified beneficiaries, without clear repayment sources established, and under conditions of insufficiently evaluated or monitored collateral. Additionally, in some cases, the funds were used for purposes other than those declared.
Through these actions, BC "Banca de Economii" SA incurred damages of approximately 3 billion lei.
The defendants were acquitted on certain incriminated counts; thus, prosecutors are to decide to what extent they will appeal the judgment at the Centre Court of Appeal.
Note: A person accused of committing an offense shall be presumed innocent as long as their guilt has not been established by a final judicial conviction.