200 cases of corruption were documented by the NAC, in less than a month, at the National Food Safety Agency Inspection Post, at the Leușeni-Albita border

The National Anticorruption Center (NAC) and the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office (AP) have documented a systemic corruption scheme, implemented by public persons from the National Food Safety Agency (NFSA) at the Inspection Post at the Leușeni-Albita border. Today, 20 civil servants were subjected to searches both at their place of work and at home, being documented in 20 criminal cases, initiated for passive corruption.

According to the evidence administered by the NAC officers and prosecutors, the NFSA officials are suspected of involvement in about 200 cases of systematic transmission and receipt of improper benefits in amounts varying between 100 and 1000 lei. The cash was collected from transporters for avoiding control over compliance with sanitary-veterinary norms, food safety requirements and their quality in the process of importing animals, products and raw material of animal origin, feed, as well as other goods subject to sanitary-veterinary supervision. After receiving the mentioned financial means, the NFSA employees performed a superficial control of the documents and imported products or refrained from performing the checks.

Today, during the searches, financial means were seized in the total amount of 106,400 lei, 18,030 euros, 200 dollars and 555 Romanian lei, part of the money being detected in the premises of the NFSA Inspection Post, located at the Leuşeni-Albita border. Also, 20 mobile phones and documents relevant to the criminal cases were seized.

All the 20 officials, including 15 principal inspectors and 5 senior inspectors, are to be investigated at large, being summoned to the criminal prosecution body for bringing to the attention of the recognition ordinances as a suspect in the commission of the crime provided by art. 324 para. 2) and 324 para. 4) from the criminal code – passive corruption.

The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office is conducting the criminal investigation.