The former administration of the municipal company Balti Markets Association is accused of embezzlement and misuse of power, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting Iurie Vlas, the head of the Balti Local Division “Nord”of the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime. In a news conference on January 29, Vlas said the Association allowed an economic entity to manage a local market of the existent five without having the Balti Municipal Council's consent. The damage caused to the municipal budget was estimated at over 400,000 lei. According to Iurie Vlas, officials of the Association did not include more than 800 places occupied by traders daily at the markets in the organization's financial records. Over 8.7 million lei was thus embezzled. “While the case was being investigated, we analyzed the bookkeeping documents, inventoried the selling places and examined the storage containers of the five markets administered by the Balti Markets Association,” Iurie Vlas said. The official also said that legal action was taken against decision makers of the Balti Markets Association over misappropriation and misuse of power. It was established that the Association's head, who had the status of public servant, had never submitted tax returns.