Banaruc says money found by NAC in his office is from his daughter’s wedding

The Government’s deputy secretary general Eduard Banaruc informed that the money found by the National Anticorruption Center (NAC) officers in his office during an inspection belongs to him and was earned at the wedding party of his daughter and the christening ceremony organized by them. A part of this money represents a present from parents and relatives and this fact can be easily verified, said the official, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. In a press statement, Eduard Banaruc said the anticorruption officers flagrantly violated the provisions of the legislation and his constitutional rights when they seized the money and made the information public. “I want to remind those who committed these abuses that under the Criminal Code of Moldova, the disclosure of data within investigations is punished with a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 lei, and the person is banned from holding certain posts or performing certain activities for up to three years,” reads the statement. According to the Government’s deputy secretary general, he was summoned to present himself at the NAC as a suspect on February 18. The information made public damages his honor and dignity as they insinuated that the money was obtained illegally. The functionary describes the actions as attempts to denigrate him and the team of which he forms part. Eduard Banaruc on February 18 will file a complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office and will demand penalizing the persons who violated the law and his constitutional rights. On February 15, officers of the National Anticorruption Center carried out a number of inspections, including at the Government. They confiscated US$40,700, €1,580 and 24,540 lei from the office of Eduard Banaruc.