The Prosecutor General’s Office (PG) informs on Monday, December 5, that by the sentence of the Chisinau Court, Buiucani headquarters, of November 28, 2022, a 55-year-old man of Turkish origin and a limited liability company were convicted of committing the crime of smuggling.

The man was sentenced to 4 years in prison with a conditional suspension of the execution of the sentence for 4 years, according to the PG.

“The accused company was fined 200,000 lei and deprived of the right to carry out activities related to the collection, storage, processing, sale and export of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap and waste, used batteries, including in processed form, for a period of 5 years.

The sum of 1,374,051.32 lei was collected for the benefit of the State from the account of both defendants as material damage caused by the offence.

The court also ordered that the aluminium ingots in the amount of 13 164 kg, the aluminium waste in the amount of 9 030 kg, collected during the on-site investigation, shall be passed to the benefit of the state upon the entry into force of the sentence,” the representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office said.

According to the PG, both the man and the director of the accused company were accused of the fact that during 2013-2014, without the appropriate license, they organized a clandestine section for collecting, storing and melting scrap and waste of non-ferrous metals containing aluminum, which was not registered in the manner prescribed by law with the competent bodies, where they collected, stored and made by melting aluminum ingots in the volume of 67 286 kg, which they gradually exported to various companies in Turkey.

The defendant and the company’s director, in the hearing, did not admit their guilt in committing the offences charged against them, stating that they were acting lawfully.

The sentence is not final and can be appealed to the Chisinau Court of Appeal within 15 days.