The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA) announced on Wednesday, September 6, the completion of the criminal prosecution and the referral to court, for examination on the merits, of the criminal case against a criminal prosecution officer of the Criminal Prosecution Service of the Chisinau International Airport Border Police Sector of the General Inspectorate of Border Police, charging him with the crime of influence peddling.

The criminal prosecution was initiated in June 2023 by the National Anti-Corruption Centre on the basis of a complaint.

As a result of the prosecution, it was established that the officer demanded and received from the complainant the sum of €12,000 after claiming to have influence over a prosecutor from the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organised Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS), which was handling the criminal case against the complainant and his wife, and then persuaded him to adopt an order to drop the prosecution and close the criminal case.

Earlier, the PA had informed about the detention of the border policeman after receiving €12,000. The accused did not admit his guilt and the criminal case was sent to the Buiucani Court of Chisinau for examination on the merits.

For the offence committed, the law provides for punishment in the form of a fine of between 150,000 lei and 200,000 lei or imprisonment of between two and seven years.

According to the PA, in order to guarantee the execution of the fine, a seizure was imposed on a means of transport owned by the accused, the value of which exceeds 400 000 lei, and on funds in the amount of 55 000 lei and 2 000 euro.

Individuals accused of committing a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court judgment.