Nine persons were arrested as a result of searches on November 20. Among those arrested are the mayors of Ghelauza and Galesti villages of Straseni district, a district councilor and a chief of the Ecological Fund as well as representatives of business entities. The searches were carried out within a number of criminal cases started over passive and active corruption and swindle, IPN reports.
According to the National Anticorruption Center, those arrested are suspected of acting according to a well-planned scheme with the aim of obtaining financial assistance from the Ecological Fund for implementing local projects.
There were documented a series of public tender contests to build sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants in a number of villages, which were won by companies managed from behind by one and the same beneficiary. This went to local officials in charge and offered them 5% of the value of the contract that was to be signed. Later, members of the working group of the mayor’s office fixed the tender contest so that this was won by the given company, disqualifying other applicants.
After the contracts were signed, the same beneficiary presented false accounting documents on the execution of the works stipulated in the contract to the Ecological Fund so as to obtain the indicated payments. In fact, the works weren’t performed and the money from the Ecological Fund was transferred to the accounts of the companies managed by this based on fictitious documents. As a result, tens of millions of lei was appropriated from the state budget.
Officers of the National Anticorruption Center and prosecutors today carried out searches at over 20 mayor’s offices.
