Moldovan Customs Service head provides details on operation held jointly with Romanian anticorruption bodies

Chisinau, 10 April /MOLDPRES/ - The head of the Customs Service, Igor Talmazan, has provided details about the operation carried out jointly with the anticorruption bodies of Romania.  The operation regards employees of the Customs Service and Border Police, who would have received bribe for favouring the crossing of goods across the border. ‘’We vehemently condemn and we do not tolerate corruption actions,’’ Igor Talmazan said in an interview given exclusively with the MOLDPRES State News Agency (http://www.moldpres.md/en/news/2023/04/07/23002857).

„Officers of the integrity and supervision department of the Customs Service, acting in an international investigation, initiated jointly with the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and General Anticorruption Directorate (DGA) of Romania, made raids concomitantly with searches at customs checkpoints from both sides of the Moldovan-Romanian border. We vehemently condemn and we do not tolerate the corruption actions at the institution, ‚ the head of the Customs Service said.

At the same time, Igor Talmazan noted that the the Customs Service cooperates with the bodies of other states also on other cases, in order to prevent or annihilate schemes of smuggling goods. ”For instance, there is also a case covered in mass media: ‘’The contraband with oil meant for Serbia, worth about 18 million lei.’’ The exchange of information between countries was ensured with the support of the Southeast European Law Enforcement Centre (SELEC), through the detached Liaison Officer of the Customs Service. Another case which shows an efficient collaboration is the one from the last week. ‘’Thirty seven searches in Moldova and Romania: scheme with anabolic substances worth over 1 million euros, illegally shipped to EU – de-structured and 11 people were detained. 

In last mid-January, anticorruption prosecutors jointly with power wielding structures of Romania made searches at more customs checkpoints on both sides of the border in a corruption file on the transiting of border crossing points.