Moldovan anticorruption officers detain employee of Consumer Protection Agency

13:39 | 26.05.2017 Category: Social

Chisinau, 26 May /MOLDPRES/- An inspector of the Consumer Protection Agency’s metrological control and petroleum products department was detained this morning by officers of the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA) and anticorruption prosecutors for passive corruption.

According to the CNA press service, the employee is suspected of having charged security fees from economic agents specializing in marketing petroleum products in order not to carry out planned and unannounced controls, as well as for other services. Under the information, he claimed that the money was for himself and his bosses.

In order not to penalize companies, the taxes were up to 500 euros within control and for non-verification, the amounts were several times higher. Thus, denouncer who is also the head of the inspector said that the suspect would have attempted to corrupt him with 220,000 lei – amount to be paid quarterly, in installments of 55,000 lei. According to the plan proposed by the inspector, 50 per cent would have returned to him for mediation, and other 50 per cent would be divided between the head of the department and director of the agency.

In this case, in January and April 2017, transmission of 30,000 lei and 27,500 lei to the head of department was documented, under the CNA control. The money would have been to protect 22 PECO stations by failing to solve petitions from citizens, superficial checking of companies included in the list or ignoring other abuses. At the same time, the prosecutors and CAN documented the transfer of money from the director of an oil company to APC inspector.

CNA officers and prosecutors carried out home searches, the car and employee’s office, as well as the economic agent. The two were detained for 72 hours and are being investigated for passive and active corruption.

If they are found guilty, the suspects run the risk of imprisonment from 10 to 12 years and a fine of 300,000 to 400,000 lei.

(Reporter A. Plitoc, editor A. Răileanu)

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