Five employees of the National Patrolling Inspectorate of the Ministry of the Interior will stand trial for committing corruption acts at the Leuseni customs post. Two weeks ago, 24 customs officers of the given customs post were brought to justice within the same case, IPN reports. 

According to the General Police Inspectorate, as a result of inspections carried out at the Leuseni-Albita customs post on October 22, 2013, there were arrested 42 persons. The customs officers asked for or accepted amounts varying between €100 and €350 from haulers transporting goods from the EU to Moldova in order to facilitate the customs procedures.

The fraudulent activities of the customs officers were investigated during about half a year, with the involvement of investigators under cover. The prosecutors established that the corruption acts at the Leuseni customs post became a considerable phenomenon.

The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office divided the given case into four separate parts that center on four categories of suspects: customs officers, border police officers, employees of the National Patrolling Inspectorate, and representatives of the Hancesti Police Inspectorate.

The customs officers and policemen face up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to 60,000 lei. They will also be prevented from holding particular posts and carrying out particular activities for a period of 2 to 5 years.

The prosecutors continue to investigate border police officers and a representative of the Hancesti Police Inspectorate.