Anti-corruption prosecutors raided on August 24 the car, office and home of a shift manager of the border police sector “Vulcanesti” of the Regional Directorate “South” of the Border Police. He is under criminal investigation for facilitating the illegal crossing of the state border by Ukrainian citizens.

According to prosecutors, on 24 August 2022, officers of the Internal Protection and Anti-Corruption Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), under the direction of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, South Office, raided with 4 searches the home, office and car addresses of a shift chief of the border police sector “Vulcanesti” of the Regional Directorate “South” of the General Inspectorate of Border Police (IGPF).

The criminal prosecution was carried out in the framework of a criminal case, initiated on the fact of illegal entry into the computer system of data on the crossing of the state border by Ukrainian citizens (male) in the direction of entry into the Republic of Moldova through the border crossing point “Vulcanesti-Vinogradovka”.

The accusers allege that, during the current year the IGPF employee, acting in concert with other persons, organized the illegal entry into the territory of the Republic of Moldova of approximately 50 Ukrainian citizens with the aim of obtaining material benefit, circumventing border control and bypassing the state border crossing points. In this regard, the official entered into the information system “Crossing the state border” distorted computer data that Ukrainian citizens had legally crossed the state border.

During the searches, electronic media, documents relating to the fraudulent crossing of the state border, 21 illegally held 9x18mm calibre bullets and other items of relevance to the criminal case in question were found and seized.

The official is under criminal investigation while at liberty and has been summoned to the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office to be heard as a suspect.

“We would like to point out that the initiation of criminal proceedings and the continuation of criminal proceedings are stages of the criminal process regulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure, the purpose of which is to create the procedural framework for the administration of evidence, activities which cannot, under any circumstances, undermine the principle of presumption of innocence,” the PA officials state.