Moldovan anti-corruption officers detain over 160 people in 11 months of 2018

Chisinau, 7 December /MOLDPRES/ - More than 160 persons have been detained by anti-corruption officers on the period January-November this year. Director of the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA) Bogdan Zumbreanu today unveiled the results of the institution’s work for the first 11 months of 2018 and set forth CNA’s priorities for the future.   

The CNA head made a retrospective of the cases with the highest impact. It is about operations in the health sector, when more physicians were detained, suspected of dubious businesses with pharmaceutical companies, as well as documenting cases of extorting money from patients – the files Tomograf 1 and Tomograf 2.      

Zumbreanu also referred to interventions in education, noting a file on accusing over 60 persons for the creation of a scheme for collecting money from students of the Academy of Economic Studies for passing exams, for diplomas, for degree theses, etc. Another file regards the former head of the Lastaras public association, detained for fraudulent management of money collected from parents of children who were attending the concerned pre-school institution.    

Among the files with a special impact there is also the one of “bribe for judges.” At that time, CNA and prosecutors detained more magistrates, lawyers, one prosecutor and one physician, suspected of having claimed and given money for the hushing up files, pending in courts. At the same time, the CNA head touched upon a file in which the dean of the law faculty of the Moldovan State University is charged. The CNA officers are suspecting him of involvement in rigging exams for maintaining doctor’s degree.  

Also, tens of files have been investigated, which regard the lawless actions with grounds and constructions, in which more civil servants of the Chisinau city hall, as well as intermediaries are charged. Another file is the one concerning more employees of the state enterprise, Gările şi staţiile auto (Bus Terminals), documented for illicit collection of money for the protection of the illegal traffic of passengers and goods.  

Over 700 corruption offences have been discovered in the 11 months of this year. Among the subjects of the corruption acts from the public sector, there are: 42 mayors and deputy mayors, 40 people from the health care sector, 11 directors or deputy directors of state enterprises, 71 persons in the education field and 26 police inspectors. Also, the institution levied distraint on assets worth about 170 million lei in all. According to CNA data, the worst hit settlements are: the Chisinau and Balti municipalities, Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, Cahul city, Criuleni town and Soroca city.   

The CNA chief said that, for 2019, the Centre was set to strengthen its presence among control institutions. “The priority No 1 is the citizen’s trust that, when interacting with the public sector, he/she will not be subjected to abuses or unlawful acts, and if this happens, the citizen should be sure that CNA will intervene to defend his/her rights,” Bogdan Zumbreanu added.