Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure Iurie Chirinciuc, acting director general of the State Road Administration Veaceslav Teleman and the heads of two building companies were arrested on suspicion that they organized an illegal scheme to gain large sums of money, IPN reports.
According to the NAC, Minister Iurie Chirinciuc, in collusion with the other suspects, exerted pressure on a company that won a tender contest to implement a project financed by the European Investment Bank so that this conceded a part of the workload.
In a meeting in February 2017, which involved the minister, the representatives of the company that won the contract to rehabilitate the R6 M1 – Ialoveni road were told to concede 50% of the workload to Global Trans Construct and Nouconst. Later, making reference to an instruction given by the minister, the manager of Global Trans Construct extorted from the same company 5% of the value of the contract, which is about €400,000. Of this sum, €80,000 was to be given to decision makers of the State Road Administration.
Iurie Chirinciuc and Veaceslav Teleman are investigated as co-authors of the offense of passive corruption, while the company managers as accomplices. These face up to 15 years in jail and a fine of 400,000 to 500,000 lei and ban on holding particular posts and performing particular activities for 10 to 15 years.
/3:20pm/ Minister Iurie Chirinciuc placed under arrest for 72 hours
Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure Iurie Chirinciuc was arrested for 72 hours. He was escorted to the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, where he is questioned within a case of corruption. Acting director general of the State Road Administration Veaceslav Teleman, the director of Noucost SRL and manager of Global Trans Construct SRL were arrested in the same case.
/13:01pm/ Searches in office of transport minister
NAC officers and anticorruption prosecutors are carrying out searches in the office of Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure Iurie Chirinciuc within a case of corruption. Earlier, searches were performed in his home and car.
/11:47am/ Director of State Road Administration under arrest
The acting director general of the State Road Administration Veaceslav Teleman was arrested and is to be escorted to the National Anticorruption Center.
/11:23am/ Searches in office of State Road Administration chief
Officers of the National Anticorruption Center (NAC) are carrying out searches in the office of the head of the State Road Administration and at homes of functionaries of the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure and representatives of companies. The information was confirmed for IPN by the Center’s press officer Angela Starinski.
The searches are performed within a criminal case concerning acts of corruption that involves projects financed with EU funds.
