The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announces on Friday, February 17, the completion of the criminal prosecution and referral to court for examination on the merits of the criminal case of indictment of a lawyer and an intermediary from Bender municipality for committing the crime of influence peddling.

The intermediary is being remanded in custody and the lawyer has been ordered not to leave the country for 60 days.

The criminal prosecution was initiated by the prosecution body of the National Anti-Corruption Centre (CNA) on September 29, 2022, based on the complaint of the concubine of a defendant on a criminal case for attempted murder, the latter being in pre-trial detention, PA representatives note.

“According to the denunciation, between August and September 2022, the two accused persons, one of whom was practicing the profession of a lawyer and participating as a defender of the above-mentioned defendant, on the criminal case of indictment of the latter on the commission of the crime of attempted murder, claiming to the defendant’s concubine that they could influence the judge in whose administration the criminal case was being examined, with a view to the issuing of a more lenient sentence, demanded and received money from her in several instalments in the total amount of USD 6400,” the PA announced in a statement.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the defendants partially admit their guilt, and the criminal case has been referred to the court and will be examined by the Anenii Noi Court, Bender headquarters.

If found guilty of committing the named offence, the defendants face a fine of 150,000 to 200,000 lei or imprisonment of 2 to 7 years.

A person accused of committing an offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court judgment.