The Nisporeni District Prosecutor’s Office completed the investigation and sent to court the criminal case started against the mayor of Varzaresti village Constantin Ungureanu over abuse of power, IPN reports.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, in December 2015, in breach of the law, the mayor issued a business entity with an authorization for extracting sand for laying out a beach near the public pond in Varzaresti. The certificate was issued in the absence of official documents that would have authorized the company to perform works to exploit and extract mineral resources, in this case sand.

The company employed persons who extracted and transported sand from the unauthorized quarry of Sendreni village to the pond in Varzaresti, until these were spotted by the police. It is estimated that damage of 400,000 lei was caused to the state by the illegal extraction of sand.

Contacted by IPN, mayor Constantin Ungureanu said he will prove his innocence in court. “They exaggerated things as regards the abuse of power and the caused damage. Yes, I issued such a certificate, but I will prove my innocence in court,” stated the mayor.

Constantin Ungureanu was banned from leaving the village. He faces up to ten years in jail and ban on holding particular posts or performing particular activities for at most 15 years.