The officers of the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) and prosecutors of Balti municipality conducted criminal investigations today in a passive corruption case, targeting eight customs employees. They are suspected of having demanded and received illicit remuneration from carriers when crossing the state border.

According to the case materials, employees with executive and management positions within the Centre Customs Office and Leușeni Customs Post, citing various violations or inconsistencies in the transport documents or other documents presented by individuals or representatives of legal entities when crossing the state border, allegedly demanded and received, personally or through an intermediary, undue monetary means. The illicit remunerations were claimed for various services, such as facilitating the crossing of the state border of goods without declaring them and subjecting them to the payment of import duty, speeding up the process of checking means of transport and various types of goods or objects at the Leuşeni Customs Post, as well as for other purposes, contrary to the provisions of the legislation in force.

This morning, searches were carried out on 8 customs employees, with criminal prosecution actions being carried out at their homes and cars. Mobile phones, customs documents, but also financial means were seized from the scene, the provenance of which is to be established, and the mentioned persons are to be escorted to the NAC headquarters for questioning.

We specify that all actions are taking place under the procedural leadership of the prosecutors of the Bălți Municipal Prosecutor's Office.

We remind that any person shall be presumed innocent until a final and irrevocable court decision is pronounced.