The three employees of the Laboratory of the National Food Safety Agency, who are suspected of passive corruption, will stay under arrest for 30 days. Two of them will be taken to Penitentiary No. 13, while the third will be under house arrest as he was confirmed with COVID-19, the press service of the National Anticorruption Center (NAC) has said.

The judge’s decision can be challenged in the Appeals Court. Another two persons who were arrested in the same case are cooperating with the investigation bodies and will not be remanded in custody.

As a result of the searches carried out on April 20, the NAC officers arrested five persons, three of whom are veterinaries and two are businesspeople. The five are investigated by the National Anticorruption Center and anticorruption prosecutors within 43 criminal cases started over passive and active corruption. These are suspected of issuing quality and veterinary sanitary certificates to traders who sold meat at stalls at the Central Market for money

Passive and active corruption carry a maximum jail term of 10 years, fine and ban on holding public posts.