Head of Calarasi district, mayor of Calarasi town of Moldova detained

Chisinau, 31 January /MOLDPRES/ - The head of the central Calarasi district, the Calarasi town’s mayor and a head of department of the Calarasi district council were detained by law-enforcers today morning, in a file instrumented by the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA), jointly with the National Anticorruption Centre (CNA).    

According to PA, the civil servants are prosecuted within more files, opened on corruption cases. Thus, according to the cause’s materials, they are suspected of embezzlement of public procurements, as well as of other abuses committed in 2022.    

Last year, the suspects would have created a scheme of favouring economic agents in exchange for other assets, advantages or financial means which they do not deserved. Thus, the civil servants would have collected a commission of about 10-15 per cent of the contract’s value for the conclusion of contracts on public procurements, as well as for the  works’ reception. Law-enforcers discovered at least ten cases of embezzlement of public procurements during investigations and the real beneficiary of one of the companies involved in the scheme would be mayor of the Calarasi town himself.       

At the same time, corruption deeds committed also by other civil servants are investigated in the same files. They are subordinated inclusively to the Finance Ministry. The concerned people would have accepted bribe for not showing the infringements disclosed within a financial audit carried out at the mayoralty.    

Today morning, anticorruption officers and prosecutors made 29 searches which regarded the job offices, residences and personal vehicles of the concerned persons. More evidence and sums of money were raised from the spot. The head of the Calarasi district, the Calarasi town mayor, as well as a head of department of the Calarasi district council were placed under arrest in CNA’s isolation ward for 72 hours.