A new audio recording attributed to the head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA), Veronica Dragalin, from the controversial PA meeting has surfaced online. During the discussion with anti-corruption prosecutors, the head of the institution said that she came to Moldova to change things and that she was sure she would succeed. Veronica Dragalin spoke about a letter she received from the current director of the Public Property Agency (PPA), Alexandru Musteață, and warned corrupt prosecutors and officers who denigrate the image of the institution that they will be held accountable.

Ziarul de Gardă requested a reaction from PA representatives regarding the audio sequence published by Eugeniu Luchianiuc. At the time of publication of this article, no response had been received.

“(…) I know very well who in this collective has no place in the future of the structure that fights corruption in this country. I will get rid of all of you once the structure of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office is changed. So you must admit that I have not taken any action so far against one prosecutor or another, but that does not mean that your turn will not come. Leaking on Telegram channels about things going on in this room, to me, is the lowest thing you can do. I want to give you one example. Be very, very careful what happens if you denigrate the image of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, my image or the image of a colleague in our team who is a man of integrity (…)”, said Veronica Dragalin.

The head of the PA also said during the meeting that, on 26 May, she received a letter from the director of the APA, Alexandru Musteață, indicating certain corruption schemes committed by some prosecutors and judges. The letter also mentioned Vasile Plevan, acting deputy chief prosecutor of the PA.

“He addressed that letter to me, to the Prosecutor General, to the SIS, to the Pre-Vetting Commission. In this letter he also talked about corruption schemes committed by prosecutors and judges. He named Vasile Plevan (acting deputy chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, editor’s note), that he is involved in corruption schemes on some case from 2020. I want you to pay close attention to what happened after that.

On 29 May, I wrote to Mr Alexandru Musteață about the letter, informing him that false statements against a prosecutor or against our institution, a campaign to denigrate a prosecutor violates the Criminal Code. I called him to my office and he appeared on 31 May. I told him directly what I thought about this letter. After speaking to him for half an hour, this man apologised and wanted to apologise to Vasile Plevan. He wanted to do his best to write another letter. He asked me what he should write in another letter to the Pre-Vetting Commission, what he could do to make up for what he had done so far. I told him to find a lawyer and I want you all to draw attention to what will happen to this man next, where will Alexander Musteață from APP end up.

Already on Telegram there is information that he is to be fired. Please watch carefully what will happen to this man for what he did. People who deal with such things will be held accountable. I have a five-year term in this country. My term of office is longer than the term of office of the members of parliament, of the president. I’m here for five years. I’m not going anywhere, I’m going to be here, I’m going to fight for prosecutors with integrity. I will be there to arrest corrupt prosecutors, consultants and officers. I want to make it very clear to all of you what the consequences will be for the acts you commit here. A request for resignation will not solve your problem. If you did the things you did, there will be criminal liability. I don’t throw empty words (…)”, said Veronica Dragalin.

On Wednesday, June 14, an audio recording attributed to the head of the PA, Veronica Dragalin, from a meeting she organized with the PA collective, was published by pulsmedia.md portal. The head of the PA said that she does not have the patience to go in with “teams of masked men, to someone’s house, at six in the morning”.

“And I have no patience to personally enter with teams of masks, to someone’s house, at six in the morning, in front of your children, your wives, your husbands, to be arrested, handcuffed and sent to prison. I can’t wait for that to happen. I personally will be there!”, Veronica Dragalin is reported to have said during the meeting.

Requested by Ziarul de Gardă at the time, PA representatives said that “the recording is authentic” and that “it is a portion of the meeting that took place on 7 June 2023, at 9:00 am, with the entire PA staff in the room on the fifth floor of the NAC headquarters, where no persons outside the PA staff were present”.

“(…) My speech was illegally recorded without my knowledge. I encourage this person or persons to publish the entire speech. I have nothing to fear because I have never said anything that I am not ready to say in public. Corrupt criminals have something to fear because we have recordings that prove their guilt,” PA chief Veronica Dragalin told ZdG.

On Wednesday, June 7, realitatea.md published a document, writing that CNA officers had filed a collective complaint on behalf of PA head Veronica Dragalin, accusing her of intimidation. Crime-moldova.com wrote that Veronica Dragalin had threatened her subordinates with searches and files and asked those “who feel like they have a fly on their head to voluntarily resign in order to avoid this”.