Weekly Synthesis: Meeting with the ACN/OECD assessment team, searches in an electoral corruption case, convictions in NAC cases and seizures of approximately 1.6 million lei

The National Anti-corruption Centre (NAC) has reported several activities carried out last week in the fight against corruption component, as well as other actions within the spectrum of institutional attributions. Thus, NAC officers carried out new searches at a resident of Căinari town, Căușeni district, investigated in an electoral corruption case. According to preliminary information, during the presidential elections in the fall of 2024, the person, acting as a representative of a political party, allegedly sent financial means, with amounts ranging between 500 lei and 2000 lei, to several persons with the right to vote, asking them to express their voting option in favour of a certain candidate.

Also last week, the Chisinau Court, Buiucani headquarters, convicted a former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) investigated by anti-corruption officers for committing influence peddling and ordered him to pay over 265,000 lei. At the same time, the Cahul Court, Taraclia headquarters, found a woman guilty of committing the crime of influence peddling and an employee of the Southern Regional Directorate of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police of the MAI for committing computer forgery, in a case investigated by the NAC officers, and ordered the individual to pay 150,000 lei, and the MAI employee - 75,000 lei. We note that at the moment, 11 people, arrested in the cases opened by the NAC, are placed in penitentiaries. During the reference period, the criminal investigation officers proposed 18 cases to the prosecutors for resolution.

In addition, the director of the NAC, Alexandr Pînzari, had a meeting with the evaluation team of the Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which was in Chisinau from February 10 to 14 as part of the 5th Round of monitoring of the sub-regional peer review program "Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan". The purpose of the visit is to assess the progress made by the institutions of the Republic of Moldova in the fight against corruption in the period 2023-2024.

The Criminal Assets Recovery Agency (CARA) of the NAC seized 17 assets worth about 1.6 million lei last week, based on the delegations of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ungheni Police Inspectorate and the General Inspectorate of Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. These include 15 means of transport and 2 agricultural lands. The assets were seized in a case of human trafficking and the organization of illegal migration.

In the field of corruption prevention, the Legislation Directorate finalized and submitted to the authors 14 expert reports on draft normative acts last week. During the mentioned period, 3 anti-corruption trainings were organized. The NAC notifies the completion of 4 operational analyses, the issuance of 132 integrity records, the reception of 42 calls to the National Anti-corruption Hotline and the registration of 1549 materials in the Centre’s Chancellery.