The mayors of two villages in northern Moldova will be tried for professional negligence after the Prosecutor’s Anticorruption Office accused them formally of causing considerable damage to the environment as well as material damage.

The Office said in a press release that the mayors allowed private companies to carry out unauthorized extraction of clay on the villages’ outskirts in a deal where the companies pledged to organize dumping grounds for the respective communities. In doing so, the mayors failed to secure required approvals from the local councils and to conduct proper tender proceedings.

The damage caused to the state is estimated at 450,000 lei and 145,000 lei. The mayors now face prison terms from 2 to 6 years with a ban from occupying certain posts for up to 10 years.