The strategy for recovering the money stolen from the banking system that was presented by the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anticorruption Center is very curious, even weird, economic expert Viorel Girbu stated in the program “Emphasis on today” on TVR Moldova channel, IPN reports.
According to him, the authorities have taken no steps during four years and the intention appeared only now. The scheme defined in the strategy is not even developed ultimately. “It is not clear how this institutional body that we hope will recover the embezzled funds will look like in the end,” stated Viorel Girbu.
He noted that the strategy is very curious, even weird, because it is not clear why the strategy covers the Gachkevicih group that worked in 2007-2012 at a time when Ilan Shor managed the bank in 2012-2014. Ilan Shor, who is in the country and should not be extradited from somewhere, can be arrested tomorrow if there is wish. “I think the authorities do not have such a wish,” stated the expert, adding that different conviction speeds in the cases concerning the banking fraud and more political interest than respect for citizens’ interests are seen.
The economist said he does not understand the logic of the strategy authors, who say that about 6 billion lei, which represent the value of the assets of the banks involved in the scheme, of the approximately 14 billion lei stolen were eliminated. “It should be noted that the assets of Banca de Economii included state assets. The state owned over 30% of the shares in this bank. So, the state will sell the owned assets in order to compensate for the damage caused by a third person. What is the logic here?” asked Viorel Girbu.
Deputy head of the Party “Action and Solidarity” Mihai Popsoi in the same program said the strategy for recovering the stolen funds is rather PR action taken at the insistence of the opposition that exerts pressure inside and outside.
“We consider this strategy was worked out to show the foreign partners and the citizens that they do something. Even the prosecutors admitted that nothing of the stolen funds was recovered. Money was recovered only by selling assets of the robbed banks,” he stated, adding the fact that they try to extend the temporal spectrum of the fraud, from 2007 until 2014, is another interesting aspect. “This shift of emphases is nothing else but an attempt to leave aside the real beneficiaries of the theft, a part of whom we suspect form part of the government”.
Spokesman for the Democratic Party Vitalie Gamurari said such cases as the one concerning the banking fraud last for tens of years. “I’m not so optimistic about the recovery of the money. I know very well the procedures and how long they last. Even the states with traditions, which have cooperation agreements in criminal matters or in the justice sector and recognize mutual sentences, not always put such things into practice. This is an international practice that we should take into account,” he noted.
