Ex-minister Papuc denies embezzlement allegations
- 16.01.2010 11:27
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- 1 minute(s)
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Former minister of internal affairs Gheorghe Papuc is denying the allegations made by his successor Victor Catan that he embezzled 40 million lei ($3.26m) from the Ministry's coffers, Info-Prim Neo reports.
Papuc told reporters on Friday, after prosecutorial interrogations in connection with the April events, that the accusations were “mere nonsense”. “The Court of Accounts annually checks the financial activity of the Ministry and in nine years no such violations were found”, he argued.
Gheorghe Papuc alleges, in turn, that the current leadership of the Interior Ministry tends to distract the public attention from the “serious problems” it faces, including the failure to handle criminal activity. “Monitoring the criminal situation, I find organized crime reappearing in our country, when smoothing iron is used to torture people. I think people are worried about this situation and so am I and my colleagues”.
Papuc went on to add that when he became minister, Moldova “was surrounded by organized crime, when businessmen were maltreated in different forms”, suggesting that the country is now returning to those times.
