Criminal prosecution group of bank fraud cases to be extended at request of acting prosecutor general of Moldova

Chisinau, 16 July /MOLDPRES/ – The criminal investigation group conducting the investigation of bank fraud cases will be expanded. The decision has been taken by acting Prosecutor General, Igor Popa.

The head of the press service of the General Prosecutor's office (PG), Maria Vieru, has said that in addition to anticorruption prosecutors, the representatives of the Agency for recovery of criminal goods (ARBI) and Service of prevention and combatting money laundering (SPCSB), the criminal prosecution group will join criminal prosecution officers within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), judicial experts and accountants of the National Bank of Moldova (BNM) and the National commission of financial market. The group members are to be removed from other activities, specific to function, as to focus on investigations into fraud cases.

Also, in order to boost the recovery of embezzled goods, it was decided to initiate a joint investigation team with EUROJUST in order to obtain documents and other evidence in operative terms for persons involved in bank fraud needed to complete the investigation and remittance file in court, both on territory of Moldova or other states.

The investigative group will also cooperate with development partners from which they have requested assistance to repatriate the litigation funds abroad. In order to establish all circumstances related to bank fraud, there have been sent requests for international rogatory commissions to Russia, Latvia, Italy, USA, France, Austria, Czechia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Estonia, Liechtenstein and Monaco, banking, hearing of persons, issuing of confirmatory documents of transactions, etc.

According to PG's data, the values ​​to be pursued for recovery are MDL 13.34 bln, which is the value of government securities issued to cover emergency loans granted by BNM to the Savings Bank (BEM), Banca Sociala (BS) and Unibank.

Currently, the number of criminal cases relating to criminal offences of BEM, BS and Unibank, which has been or is still under the management of criminal prosecution groups, is estimated at 197 criminal cases. Thus, the value of seizures applied is almost MDL 03 bln, and the amount of the damage recovered up to 15 June 2019 is MDL 2,276.6 mln, aut of which the own assets of banks – MDL 1,203.4 mln, and executory titles – MDL 1,073.2 mln.