The head of the Law Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the director of a construction company were arrested on corruption-related charges on February 11. According to the National Anticorruption Center, the two men were caught red-handed as a result of searches performed in their offices and cars, IPN reports.

The two are suspected of trying to corrupt a division head of the Ministry of Agriculture so that this didn’t support the official position of the Ministry in a trial and adopted a behavior favorable to the economic entity. It was a lawsuit filed by the Horticulture and Food Technology Institute, managed by the Ministry, against the firm.

The Institute asked to annul a contract signed by the Ministry and the company in 2012. By this contract, the Ministry leased out one hectare of land on which to erect an apartment building to the firm. The blocks weren’t constructed and the Institute went to court.

The head of the Law Division and the firm manager offered money and an apartment in Chisinau to the division head for this to withdraw the Ministry’s claims. On February 11, the firm director was to give the law division an advance of €1,000. The director was caught in the act of transmitting the money. The Law Division head was remanded in custody for 72 hours. The two face up to 15 years behind bars for active corruption.