NAC Synthesis: Cases in the education system, schemes with fake diplomas, freezing orders issued on assets and bank accounts of about 16.2 million lei and seizures of over 5 million lei applied by CARA
The National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) has presented the weekly report on the activities carried out in the fields of combating and preventing corruption, as well as of the measures to recover criminal assets. During the reference period, the NAC officers jointly with anti-corruption prosecutors carried out searches within a criminal case regarding passive corruption and influence peddling in the education system in Chisinau. Seven people are targeted in the case, including the dean of a faculty at the Moldova State University (USM), the director of a college in the capital, two intermediaries and three students. At the same time, the NAC is investigating a corruption scheme with fake diplomas in the field of cosmetic surgery. The head of a multifunctional center of the Public Services Agency (ASP) allegedly demanded and received 15,000 euros in bribes from administrators of several salons specializing in dermatology and cosmetic surgery in the Republic of Moldova and Romania in exchange for the completion of fake graduation diplomas from a higher education institution abroad, without the beneficiaries having actually followed the respective studies. The court ordered the preventive arrest of the operation for a period of 20 days.
During the same period, the president of the Florești Territorial Office of a former political party, investigated by the NAC, APO and SIS, was sentenced to 3 years in prison, and 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 to pay over 1 million lei. The NAC criminal investigation officers have initiated 6 criminal cases, 6 people are detained in prisons, being preventively arrested.
The Criminal Assets Recovery Agency (CARA) of the NAC seized assets of illicit origin worth 5.1 million lei. The seized assets include a residential and a non-residential building, 2 residential premises, a means of transport and a land plot for construction. The assets were frozen in a money laundering and fraud case. The Agency also issued two freezing orders on two real estate assets and two bank accounts worth approximately 16.2 million lei. Previously applied seizures, worth approximately 3 million lei, were confirmed by court decisions.
In the corruption prevention segment, the Legislation Directorate submitted 8 legislative expertise reports to the authors. At the same time, 3 operational analyses were completed, 104 integrity records were issued, and 31 calls were received at the National Anti-corruption Line. 1360 materials were registered in the institution's Chancellery.