A lawyer, investigated by the NAC and APO, was sentenced to 6 years in prison for committing the crime of influence peddling
On January 26, the Chisinau Court, Buiucani, found a lawyer guilty of committing four episodes of influence peddling. The court ordered, by partial cumulation of the sentences, a prison sentence for a period of 6 years, 3 years to be served in a semi-closed penitentiary for women, the remaining 3 years being conditionally suspended for a probation period of 2 years, with the deprivation of the right to practice law for a period of 5 years, and a fine of 20,000 lei was imposed on her.
Also, the special confiscation of the defendant's account was ordered, of the funds in the amount of 5,000 US dollars, seized during the detention and search and recognized as evidence of the crime, as well as the equivalent in lei of the funds resulting from the crime in the amount of approximately 637,000 lei.
To ensure the special confiscation, the court maintained the seizure applied during the criminal investigation phase on the defendant's assets.
According to the evidence accumulated by the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) and the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (APO), in November 2012, the defendant allegedly claimed in front of the relative of a defendant in custody that she had influence over a prosecutor, in order to replace the preventive measure and reclassify the act charged into a crime with a milder sanction. For the alleged influence, she allegedly claimed and received 11,000 euros.
In September 2017, representing the defence of another defendant in the commission of the crime of putting counterfeit banknotes into circulation, the defendant allegedly claimed that she could influence the prosecutor and the judge examining the case on the merits, in order to pronounce a non-custodial sentence, claiming and receiving 6,000 euros.
Subsequently, in the period March–April 2018, she allegedly claimed and received 5,000 euros, claiming that she had influence over the judges of the Criminal Chamber of the Chisinau Court of Appeal, to reject the appeal filed by the prosecutor and uphold the first instance decision.
In another episode, in the period June–August 2016, in a pimping case, the defendant allegedly claimed 5,500 euros, claiming that she could influence the judge examining the case in order to pronounce a non-custodial sentence, subsequently receiving 3,500 euros.
Furthermore, during September–November 2016, she allegedly claimed and received an additional 2,000 euros, claiming that she had influence over the judges of the Chisinau Court of Appeal, for rejecting the appeal filed by the prosecutor.
She also, during November–December 2015, representing the defence of a defendant for robbery and hooliganism, allegedly claimed and received 500 euros, for influencing the prosecutors and the court in order to apply a non-custodial preventive measure.
Subsequently, in 2016, she allegedly claimed 3,500 euros for the pronouncement of an acquittal, effectively receiving 2,500 euros, in two instalments.
In the summer of 2017, the defendant allegedly claimed 3,500 euros, of which she received 2,000 euros, claiming that she could influence prosecutors and judges of the Chisinau Court of Appeal to uphold the first instance decision.
By the decision of March 22, 2018 of the Chisinau Court of Appeal, the prosecutor's appeal was admitted, the first instance sentence was quashed and a new decision was issued sentencing her to 8 years and 6 months in prison, with the sentence to be served in a closed prison.
Subsequently, in May 2018, the defendant allegedly claimed 6,000 euros, claiming that she had influence over the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice. In June 2018, she received 5,000 US dollars, under the control of investigative officers of the National Anti-corruption Centre.
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 until his guilt is established by a final court decision.