Three persons were arrested by the police on suspicion of taking a considerable bribe. The suspected persons are the head of the Legal Department of the State Tax Inspectorate, aged 32, the administrator of “Chisinau-Coninvest” holding, aged 29, and the administrator of the bankruptcy procedure of MGFL 10 and “Virens” JSC, aged 21. Those three were caught red-handed at the moment when they received from a company the documents for 9 apartments with the total area of 450 square metres. It is for the first time that the police discover such a large-scale bribe-taking case, Deputy Minister of Interiors Valentin Zubic told a news conference. The officers of the Operative Service Department of MIA found that those three persons, by taking advantage of their offices, were bankrupting inconvenient companies. In one year alone, they asked goods worth MDL 5.7 mln from the owner of a construction company, so that the company avoids bankruptcy. The conflict between the company and those three originated in 2003, when they signed an agreement with “Chisinau-Convest” holding. According to the agreement, the company was given the right to build an apartment block. After the investments were made in that construction, two of the suspects started to blackmail their business partner, asking him for 450 square metres of the block for personal use (the cost of one square metre –EUR 700). The sum of the “request” was equalled to MDL 5.7 mln. Under threats of bankruptcy, the victim was forced to transfer to a bank about MDL 6 mln for the purchase of the housing space from own resources. Being informed about this act, the police have organised the issuance of a cheque, which would prove that the solicitation of the offenders was fulfilled. Those three were caught red-handed, right at the moment when they received 9 apartments, registered on the name of 3 different persons. In case they will be found guilty they might be imprisoned from 5 to 10 years. The police do not exclude the fact that at the end of the investigations, more persons involved in this scheme might be found out. About 40 bribery cases were registered in 2007.