Today, January 24, 2023, the officers of the National Anticorruption Center carried out criminal prosecution actions in 26 criminal cases based on the components of the crime: abuse of power or abuse of office, committed for material interest, in order to achieve other personal interests or in the interest of a third party, passive corruption, active corruption, influence peddling and money laundering.

Civil servants from the Balti and Comrat Territorial Office of the Agency for Interventions and Payment for Agriculture (AIPA) claimed and accepted from the beneficiaries undue money in the amount of 10% of the money granted to the economic agents as a subsidy, which varies from 1000 to 150000 lei, both directly and through a Limited Liability Company and a Public Association, to speed up the undertaking of the actions included in their service obligations, as well as to influence the members of the commission for the verification of files and determine them to accept subsidizing the applicants on the basis of the subsidy files presented, even if they do not correspond to the legal rigors, even after obtaining the requested subsidies.

The criminal activity of a natural and legal person is also documented, who, pursuing the goal of illegally obtaining subsidies above the ceiling established by law in the amount of 1.5 million lei, acting in complicity and in agreement with three public officials from the Agency of Interventions and Payments in Agriculture, during the months of July-August 2020, contrary to point 14 of Government Decision no. 445, subsidies in the total amount of 3 539 728 lei were organized by falsification of documents and unjustifiably paid.

As part of the criminal cases, the illegal actions of a public official from the Agency are also being investigated, who claimed and received from an economic agent undue financial means in the amount of 100,000 lei, which constituted 10% of the amount of the requested subsidy, money that was intended for the receipt of the subsidy file and the granting of financial means from the National Fund for the Development of Agriculture and the Rural Environment.

Therefore, following the implementation of the special investigative measures, the civil servants, in the process of the criminal activity, claimed, accepted and received from the representatives of different Peasant Households, Limited Liability Companies (among these representatives also being mayors of different localities in the north of the Republic Moldova, who in fact manage business in the field of agriculture through various interposed persons) monetary means under the pretext of not preemptively checking the subsidy file and respectively not to create obstacles at the initial stage of its examination.

At the same time, as a result of carrying out the criminal activity, with the aim of assigning a legal aspect to the illicit income obtained through acts of corruption, the public official also involved his son in the criminal activity, the latter procuring an impressive number of movable and immovable assets both on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, as well as abroad. Among the projects targeted in the NAC investigation are: "the project on granting advance subsidies for local development through the implementation of the LEADER Program", "the project on granting direct payments per head of animal" and "the project on granting subsidies to improve living standards" and work in the rural environment from the National Fund for the Development of Agriculture and the Rural Environment".

Today, a total of 68 searches were carried out, targeting: employees of the Agency for Interventions and Payments in Agriculture, Balti and Comrat territorial divisions, administrators of Limited Liability Companies, administrators of Joint Stock Companies, mayors and third parties.

As a result of the criminal investigation, 6 people were detained, another 6 people are being investigated for their freedom, and other 24 people are to be recognized and heard as suspects on the components of the crime: abuse of power or abuse of office, committed out of interest material, for the purpose of achieving other personal interests or in the interest of a third person, passive corruption, active corruption, influence peddling and money laundering. Among the detainees are: 1 AIPA employee, a relative of the AIPA employee, 4 administrators of Limited Liability Companies.

Results of criminal prosecution actions (administered evidence):

- financial means in the amount of 352,950 lei; 10700 EUR; $1,953 and 350 Pounds;

- 13 mobile phones;

- system blocks with relevant information in the number of 3 units;

- 1 notebook;

- 2 weapons (Winchester rifle and pistol) without the right of possession;

- 6 subsidy files.

On a single charge, a damage of approx. 3 539 728 lei as a result of obtaining subsidies contrary to point 14 of Government Decision no. 445.