The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office completed the investigation and sent to court the case started against the head of Dubasari district Grigore Polichinski over abuse of power and causing of considerable damage to the public interest. The servant, who faces up to 16 years in jail, pleads not guilty, IPN reports.

The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office said the head of Dubasari district is accused of illegally taking decisions to authorize employees of the District Council to pay visits abroad, of illegally signing contracts to be offered legal assistance services and of rigging public tender contests.

Grigore Polichinski is also accused of violating the legislation on the state secret by approving a list of employees of the District Council who were to have permanent access to the state secret and to get salary bonuses for the related duties. He is charged with the unfounded offering of salary bonuses, premiums and presents to District Council members and with the unjustified allocation of financial assistance to different persons from the Council’s reserve fund.

Damage estimated at almost 1.5 million lei was caused to the Dubasari District Council by the given decisions.

Grigore Polichinski was arrested on September 26, 2017 at the Chisinau International Airport, when he was returning from Turkey after vacationing there. In three days, the prosecutors issued an ordinance for his dismissal and banned him from living the country.

A number of councilors of Dubasari district gave a news conference where they described the arrest of Grigore Polichinski as abusive and groundless. The representatives of civil society also reacted, saying everything seems to be a political game planned by the ruling party.