The Balti Court of Appeal on Friday, February 3, maintained the preventive arrest of four people remanded in custody for a period of 30 days in the case of the Agency for Intervention and Payments for Agriculture (AIPA). They are an AIPA employee from Balti and representatives of three economic agents. They are being investigated for passive and active corruption and money laundering.

The decision of the Balti Court of Appeal is irrevocable and the arrested persons are being held in Balti Prison No 11.

Another 12 searches were carried out on Thursday, 2 February, by officers of the “North” Territorial General Directorate of the National Anti-Corruption Centre (CNA) and anti-corruption prosecutors at the homes and offices of the directors of six companies operating in the agricultural sector in the north of the country – in Balti municipality and Drochia, Riscani, Falesti and Glodeni districts.

In the course of the prosecution, payment orders, tax invoices, certificates confirming the submission of subsidy files, mobile phones and other evidence relevant to the case were seized.

“Also, in the current days, two more denunciations on similar acts of corruption in the granting of subsidies were filed, on the basis of which two criminal prosecutions were initiated,” the CNA said.

The CNA and prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) carried out 68 raids on Tuesday, 24 January 2023, in criminal cases related to the agency’s management of funds from several projects.

According to the CNA, 26 criminal cases were opened for abuse of power or abuse of office, committed for material interest, in order to achieve other personal interests or in the interest of a third person, passive corruption, active corruption, influence peddling and money laundering.

“The activities relate to several episodes that have taken place in recent months, concerning the management by AIPA of funds from several projects it implements.” The head of the PA said that six people have been detained, six are being investigated at large, and “other people are recognized and heard as suspects”.

AIPA said that five employees of the institution are targeted in the cases of illegal granting of subsidies in agriculture. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, checks were carried out on one of the employees of the UTA Gagauzia territorial office, two employees of the Balti territorial office and two other employees of the agency’s central office. The ministry said that according to information provided by the CNA, only one AIPA employee was detained.