Two people were convicted of traffic of influence after they asked for and received money to facilitate the legalization of an unauthorized construction. The Buiucani Court of Chisinau City imposed fines totaling 265,000 lei and ordered the confiscation of amounts equivalent to about 115,000 lei, IPN reports.

According to the evidence examined in court, between May 2017 and October 2018, one of the defendants asked for money from a citizen, arguing that he has influence over public officials of the Râșcani District Court, the Râșcani Police Inspectorate, the Chisinau City Hall and the Court of Chisinau City. In exchange for the requested amounts, the individual promised to influence the legalization of an unauthorized construction.

In order to prevent the illegal construction from being documented, the defendant received €1,500 to intervene with the police and another €1,000 to influence an official of the Râșcani Court. Also, 64,000 lei was asked to influence the passing of a favorable decision at the Court of Chisinau. Part of this money was sent to the second defendant, who claimed that he could facilitate the legalization process.

The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office said that the investigation lasted for seven months, and the trial lasted for over five years. Although the defendants pleaded not guilty, the judges considered the evidence sufficient to convict them.

The sentence can be appealed to the Centru Court of Appeals within 15 days.