The director of a company, investigated by the NAC and APO, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for defrauding European funds. The court ordered him to pay over 1 million lei

The Cimișlia Court, Central Headquarters, found the director of a company guilty of committing the crime of fraud committed by using his official position, in particularly large proportions. The court established a sentence of 9 years in prison, a fine of 450,000 lei and deprivation of the right to exercise activities related to the management of material assets for a period of 5 years. In order to execute the sentence, the preventive measure of arrest was applied to the defendant, and he was announced wanted.

At the same time, the civil action filed by the injured party was fully admitted, the court ordering the collection from the defendant's account of the damage caused by the crime in the amount of (638,000 lei and contractual penalties in the amount of 63,800 lei), a total of 701,800 lei.

According to the evidence administered by the National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) jointly with the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (APO), the defendant concluded a contract with the Energy Efficiency Agency (EEA) and a beneficiary company, within the "Energy and Biomass" Project, financed by the European Union. He undertook to deliver equipment for the production of biomass briquettes, in the amount of 638,000 lei.

The technical expertise found that two of the three machines delivered did not comply with the specifications provided in the contract. Under the pretext of replacing them, the defendant allegedly took the equipment from the warehouse and sold it to unknown persons, appropriating the money obtained. He did not return the funds received from the EEA, causing the institution a particularly large amount of damage.

The sentence can be appealed to the Southern Court of Appeal within 15 days.

Note: The person accused of committing a crime shall be presumed innocent as long as his guilt is not established by a final court decision.