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Home / Mass-Media / Events / The National Anticorruption Center (NAC) had many important achievements in 2019. We refer to 20 of them in the framework of the conventional ranking below.
The National Anticorruption Center (NAC) had many important achievements in 2019. We refer to 20 of them in the framework of the conventional ranking below.
23.12.2019 4 Views1). A group of people detained for acts of corruption. Concerned former detainees, their relatives, and a penitentiary employee are in this case
A group of persons have promised detainees to abolish their punishment in the penitentiary, services amounting to thousands of euros. The case has come to the attention of the NAC and the anticorruption prosecutors. The head of the group turned out to be a former detainee who, having authority among condemned environment, is presumed to have promised to other detainees that they would have influence over certain public persons in courts and could lead them to make decisions favorable to them, in particular their release ahead of schedule. The NAC officers, together with anticorruption prosecutors, conducted perquisitions on the home addresses of several suspects, in their cars, but also at the headquarters of a penitentiary. Following criminal prosecution, 5 people were escorted to the NAC for hearings and suspicion. These include the head of a penitentiary sector from the Republic, two former detainees, the relative of a convict and a businessman.2). Eleven employees of the Public Health Center have been detained by the NAC
The investigation is carrying out under 138 criminal casesEleven employees of the Municipal Public Health Center within the National Public Health Agency of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection have been detained by the NAC in an ample investigation which had begun in May 2018. They are suspected of claiming and systematically taking money, personal or intermediary, from different individuals and legal entities for a range of services. According to the criminal investigation materials, detected by unexpected checks, the health inspectors and some PHC leaders, have accepted the financial means for issuing sanitary authorizations and certificates, as well as for giving up some controls or not reporting irregularities. They are also suspected of claiming money for the issue, without impediments, of batch, the project and the final reception endorsements, the organization of hygienic training classes and the successful passing of exams without the direct involvement of people, as well as the positive evaluation of the results of instrumental measurements and laboratory analyses, without movement to the place. In the documentation process, have been found that, some inspectors made fictitious petitions on some irregularities, then quoted the economic agents at PHC Chisinau headquarters and extorted money not to carry out controls on the spot and not to sanction them. The amounts systematically claimed varied from one thousand to several thousand lei for a service.
3). Several Customs Service employees radiated from the database the cars with foreign registration numbers for money
Six people were detainedA corruption scheme, practiced by some Customs Service employees, has been documented and devised by the NAC officers and anticorruption prosecutors. One leader, responsible for the management of Customs Service databases, 3 inspectors and two intermediaries, were arrested this morning as being suspected of allegedly claiming sums of money in order to eliminate or influence the deletion in the data system on car registration with foreign registration numbers. According to the whistleblower, the role of the intermediaries was to influence public figures in the Customs Service to change the information from the databases on the "entry" or "exit" of foreign cars in the country. During the prosecution, several cases of manipulation of the Customs Service's information system were identified, for each car the fee was 400 euros.
4). Campaign "Corruption is seriously damaging health"
"Corruption is seriously damaging health" is the name of a campaign of informing and raising awareness, organized under the auspices of the NAC and Ministry of Health, Labor, and Social Protection. In the framework of the campaign, the NAC officers organized anticorruption trainings with the employees of the Ministry, chiefs, deputies, lawyers subordinated to the ministry, medical staff from the republican public health medical institutions, municipal and regional, didactic staff from medical education institutions.
5). Campaign "No corruption at the BAC"
The National Anticorruption Center officers have organized information campaign for the graduates of lyceums and schools regarding the actions of corruption prevention before taking the Baccalaureate exams. For the first time, the 12 grade graduates were invited to the meeting, while the meetings with the teachers and, eventually, parents took place separately.
6). Searches at several headquarters of the Education, Youth and Sports Directorates from the capital
Two people detained by the NAC and prosecutors in corruption casesTwo people have been detained by the NAC and anticorruption prosecutors, following searches, operated at several DETS headquarters in the capital, both suspected of active corruption. According to the criminal case files initiated by the NAC, the DETS Riscani Divisional Engineer would have proposed to the former DETS Chief to conclude a service contract with an economic agent, and as a thank he would receive a kickback of 20 per cent of the contract amount. Following the denunciation, the NAC started a criminal case to investigate the facts described. In the investigation process, there were other similar cases in which other economic agents were involved, and the NAC started two criminal investigations for active corruption.
7). Summary of investigations, carried out by the criminal prosecution group, in the files of bank fraud
The NAC has published the summary of investigations, carried out by the criminal prosecution group, in the files of bank fraud in the period of 2007 - 2014, commercial bank: Banca de Economii SA, Banca Socială SA and Unibank SA were involved in diverse schemes of extortion of financial means from their possession. A benchmark for the values that are being pursued for recovery constitutes the amount of 13.34 billion lei, which represents the value of the state securities, issued for the purpose of covering the emergency loans, granted by the NBM, in favor of BEM, BS and UB, according to with the Government Decisions of 13.11.2014 and 30.03.2015. At the current stage, the number of criminal cases that have been under the management of the criminal prosecution group or exercised by the Office of Anticorruption Prosecutor (together with other investigative bodies) is estimated at 197 criminal cases, initiated by the prosecutors and the NAC officers since 2009, criminal cases regarding the criminal acts of prejudice of „Bănca de Economii", „Bănca Sociala" and „Unibank".
8). The first visit to the NAC of Mr. Dereck J. Hogan
The development of joint projects in the field of anticorruption is the NAC priority regarding the prevention and eradication of the phenomenon of corruption, as well as gaining the trust of the society in the Center's efforts to fight systemic corruption have been the main topics raised at the meeting between the US Ambassador to Chisinau Dereck J. Hogan and the NAC Director, Ruslan Flocea. This was the first official visit of the US Ambassador to the National Anticorruption Center.
9). Recommendation to prosecutors
Several prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office from Lithuania, who also hold the status of key-experts within the twinning project have recommended the revision of attributes of the National Anticorruption Center, so that the facts of combating corruption at the high level to be priority number 1 of the NAC and the Office of Anticorruption Prosecutor. In experts' opinion, the NAC should focus on the investigations of the facts of corruption, committed by the persons with high responsibilities, and the whole process should be carried out in coordination with the Office of Anticorruption Prosecutor.
10). Two teachers from the College of Ecology from Chisinau - prosecuted by the NAC and AP for influence peddling
Two teachers from the College of Ecology from Chisinau were escorted to the NAC. The didactic staff were suspected of claiming and receiving money from students in exchange for favoring them at the exam or increasing marks. Within the framework of criminal investigations, it was found that they received from the groups of students money to make other teachers give them better marks or not to fail exams. As the result of actions of criminal prosecution, at one of the suspected was found an amount of 12 000 euro, while at the other - 4 000 euro - the money they claimed to be savings.
11). 11 persons, including NAMT inspectors and representatives of car carriers, detained for corruption acts
Eleven persons, among whom inspectors of the National Agency for Motor Transport and the representatives of some companies specialized in transporting passengers, have been detained by the NAC officers and anticorruption prosecutors. According to the case materials, the detainees were suspected of passive and active corruption, as well as influence peddling. The acts of those targeted were documented several months by the NAC officers, the time when the cases of passive and active corruption, as well as influence peddling were identified. The allegedly illegal actions of the NAMT inspectors were carried out when the vehicles were stopped for routine controls, as well as during planned controls of the economic agents. In order not to apply sanctions for detected irregularities, the inspectors claimed and accepted the bribes that varied between 1000 and 9000 lei. In this context, 11 persons were detained.
12). CARA and AP has sequestered 301,6 million lei on the statutory capital of a major air company
Criminal Assets Recovery Agency of the NAC and Office of Anticorruption Prosecutor has sequestered 301,6 million lei within a case in which the crime of money laundering in very large proportions is instrumentalized in the privatization of ÎS „AIR Moldova". In fact, it is about a range of fake transactions, that led to privatization of the air company. Aiming to avoid the risk of alienating the company assets, applying the seizure to the statutory capital of the enterprise is worth 301,6 million lei.
13). A new seizure in the case of bank fraud
The National Anticorruption Center, through the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency (CARA), and anticorruption prosecutors has applied seizure worth around 364 million lei in the case of bank fraud. At the same time, to recover the damage caused by devaluation of the financial-banking system, CARA seized 11 automobiles that belonged to the companies managed by one of the fraud beneficiaries.
14). The IMF has pledged support to the NAC in investigating bank fraud and recovering embezzled money
International Monetary Fund has announced that it will support the National Anticorruption Center in investigating the bank fraud, as well as in the process of recovering money stolen following the devaluation of the financial-banking system. The statement belonged to the representative of the Fund in the Republic of Moldova, Volodymyr Tulin and it was made in the framework of a working visit to the NAC, where he met the head of the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency (CARA).
15). CARA and AP has applied seizure worth around 670 million lei on "Air Moldova" assets
Criminal Assets Recovery Agency of the NAC and the Office of Anticorruption Prosecutor have applied the seizure worth around 670 million lei on the assets that belong to "Air Moldova". The actions took place within the case of money laundering in very large proportions at Î.S. „AIR Moldova" privatization. In fact, it is a series of fictitious transactions that led to the privatization of the airline.
16). Ten forensic doctors from Chisinau, suspected in corruption acts, detained by the anticorruption prosecutors and NAC
Ten employees of the Public Health Medical Center "Forensic Medicine Center" were detained by the anticorruption prosecutors and NAC officers. They are suspected that, taking advantage of the service situation, they would have organized a fraud scheme through which they would have obtained financial means illegally that represented the payments for judicial expertise services. According to the case materials, the money would have been claimed for drawing distorted conclusions in the expertise reports, determining the cause of death, the payments ranged between 900 and 10 000 lei and were not accounted for in the institution's cash register. In the framework of special investigative measures, it was identified that only during July - September, 2019, the amount collected by the forensic doctors reached 327 000 lei.
17). National Anticorruption Conference
This year edition of the National Anticorruption Conference has been held under the title "Sectorial Approach to Corruption: Progress and Deficiencies". The main objective of the Conference was to assess anticorruption efforts by the public entities and the civil society during the current year. The NAC Director, Ruslan Flocea, in the framework of the 14th National Anticorruption Conference announced that the institution he runs has a huge responsibility in promoting anticorruption policies, by eliminating risks and vulnerabilities in the public system.
18). Social campaign: Do you want to be successful? Be honest!
On the eve on the Intenational Anticorruption Day, NAC and UNDP Moldova have launched the integrity promotion campaign "I did not buy success!". Different public personalities have urged people not to rely on illegalities, to breed success in life following honest and legal ways.
19). A new corruption scheme at the City Hall of the capital and Public Services Agency
Four people, among each is the head of the department, detained by the NACA new corruption scheme at the City Hall of the Chisinau municipality was discovered by the NAC officers and anticorruption prosecutors. A head of the department, two representatives of the real estate agency, and an employee of the Public Services Agency are suspected of claiming money from natural and legal persons to solve different issues within the competence of the City Hall or the Cadastral Services.
20). NAC declaration on actions carried out in some criminal cases of resonance
In connection with the multiple addresses of the media institutions on some cases of the National Anticorruption Center in the framework of some search files, disposed by the Office of Anticorruption Prosecutor, which concerns the accused Vladimir Plahotniuc, the NAC comes with more details. It was one of the most popular topics of 2019.