An employee of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), who in 2015 was named special administrator at Unibank, was arrested on suspicion that he abused his power in the interests of a criminal group, IPN reports.

The Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Special Cases, assisted by the Security and Intelligence Service, is conducting investigations into the bank fraud, namely as regards the release of over €5 million based on the bank guarantees of 2015 under the special administration at Unibank.

As a result of searches carried out at the home and in the office of the NBM employee on June 22, there were seized mobile phones, electronic memory devices and notes.

The suspect faces a jail term of three to seven years and ban on holding particular posts and performing particular activities for a period of 10 to 15 years.

Update /2:58pm/ In a reaction to the published information, the National Bank of Moldova notes the actions taken by prosecutors today are not based on a definitive decision confirming that the invoked facts are true. “This way, in the absence of a final decision, it is premature to draw conclusions and to ignore the principle of presumption of innocence,” stated the NBM.