Twelve employees of the state-run company “Bus stations and termini” were arrested by officers of the National Anticorruption Center (NAC) on charges of passive and active corruption and abuse of power. They are suspected of illicit collection of money from transport operators and drivers working on national and international routes. Another 11 functionaries were escorted to the NAC for questioning as suspects in a number of criminal cases, IPN reports.

Prosecutors and officers of the NAC on July 17 carried out searches at bus stations in Cahul, Causeni, Orhei, Edinet, Drochia, Ungheni, Hancesti, Ialoveni, Balti and Chisinau. As a result, there were arrested four managers of the branches in Balti, Edinet, Orhei and Causeni, two heads of the Centru branches in Chisinau, two inspectors, three dispatchers and a cashier.

In a press release, the National Anticorruption Center says the drivers were obliged to daily transmit fixed sums of money to the cashiers who, for their part, accumulated money from all the drivers who entered the terminus by the end of the day. Later the money was transmitted to the upper authorities. Up to 1.5 million lei was collected monthly by this scheme. The money was paid by drivers to transport operators in gratitude for being exempted from inspections given that many of the drivers transported more passengers than allowed, didn’t stick to the timetable and didn’t issue tickets.

One more scheme for appropriating public funds by the employees of the state-run company “Bus stations and termini” was identified during the investigation. Persons in charge of baggage keeping daily levied charges from persons for storing luggage without indicating the money in the accounting records. The money was appropriated by employees who caused thus damage to the company.

The passive and active corruption and abuse of power carry different penalties and bans on holding particular posts for public functionaries.