The administrator of a Work&Travel company was arrested on suspicion of organizing a money laundering scheme as a result of which 168 students were dispossessed of over 2 million lei, IPN reports.
According to a communiqué from the National Anticorruption Center, the administrator illegally used the personal data of students who applied for the Work&Travel program in 2012 and worked in the United States. The suspect applied to two Moldovan banks for obtaining 168 banks cards in the names of the students. He founded an enterprise and, saying that the students are his employees, asked the banks to issue the cards.
By these cards, the administrator collected the taxes paid by the U.S. Federal Service, which transferred 1% of the money earned by the Moldovan students in the United States. The money from the U.S. entered the card accounts opened in the names of the students without these persons being informed. Afterward, the administrator withdrew it from ATMs all over the country. During 24 hours, there were used by 10 to 40 cards and withdrawn by 1,000 to 1,500 lei during one operation.
The man faces up to 15 years in jail for abuse of power and money laundering. He was put under arrest for 72 hours.
