The crime rate at the Border Police has reached unprecedented proportions, according to Fiodor Ghelici. In a news conference hosted by IPN, he presented the results of a “final investigation into the criminal acts committed by border guards at the airport and at the Leușeni customs post”.
Fiodor Ghelici is the ambassador and resident representative of the International Organization for Economic Development (IOED) in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, head of the Regional Office in Moldova for Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. He is also the official representative of the IOED at the UN in Geneva, the representative of the International Congress for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms “SHELD” in the Republic of Moldova and the representable of the International Union of Diplomats in Moldova.
He said that at the start of July, he was invited to Bucharest, where representatives from Brussels and Austria came together, and was entrusted with the task of investigating corruption at border crossing points in Moldova. He was also informed that a larger number of letters and complaints about corruption among Moldovan border guards were submitted to Ukraine and the EU. He noted that he managed to collect information that will be passed on to the European Commission and the Ukrainian authorities.
Fiodor Ghelici said the results of the investigation he conducted showed that the most corrupt persons work at the Leușeni customs and at the airport. These are the most money-spinning places.
Fiodor Ghelici returned to the shooting incident that occurred at the Chisinau airport on June 30. He said that a number of passengers who came then to Chisinau from Istanbul were taken to the waiting area and were invited in turn to discussions with the border guard. When the shooter went out of that room, killing later two persons, Rustam Ashurov approached a female journalist from Tajikistan and asked her to lend him US$1,500 for him to be able to enter Moldova. If he had US$2,400 on him, it means that he was asked to pay a total of US$4,000.
As he could not find money, the man hit border guard Sergei Muntean, grabbed his gun and shot him and airport security agent Igor Ciofu. When those from the “Fulger” Special Department arrived, they fired ten shots at Rustam Ashurov, who didn’t shoot even if he had three more bullets and was ready to surrender, said Fiodor Ghelici.
He also said that at the Leușeni customs post, the border guards were instructed verbally to take €10,000 to €20,000 from Ukrainians or they are retrograded or transferred to another post.
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