NAC officers and prosecutors are conducting searches in a case of abuse of office at the Taraclia local public administration

Officers of the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC), together with prosecutors from the Chisinau Municipal Prosecutor's Office, are conducting actions today in a case of abuse of office, with particularly large damages to the budget of the Taraclia local public administration.

According to preliminary information, public figures and persons with public dignity within the local public authorities in Taraclia are targeted, as well as representatives of some economic agents. They are suspected of having acted in concert, in the period 2021 - present, to obtain undue material benefits, preferentially awarding local road repair contracts, in violation of the legislation in force on public procurement.

According to the evidence administered so far, the decision-makers within the Taraclia local public administration., acting in the interest of a legal entity, allegedly favoured the repeated award of public contracts to a certain economic operator, ignoring the criterion of the lowest price offered by other participants in the auction. The actions took place contrary to the provisions of the Public Procurement Law and the Law on Local Public Administration, causing substantial damage to the local budget.

The criminal case was initiated based on art. 327 para. (4) of the Criminal Code – abuse of office committed in the interest of an organized criminal group or which caused damage in particularly large proportions.

The searches are taking place at several addresses, both in Chisinau and in the southern districts of the country, in order to establish all the circumstances of the case, identify all the persons involved and hold them criminally liable, according to the law.

We remind that every person shall be presumed innocent until a final and irrevocable court decision is rendered. The investigation continues.