Seven individuals accused of causing the state an estimated loss of almost 4 million lei have been brought to trial. According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, four of them are public officials, including a deputy director of the Material Reserves Agency under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while the other three are representatives of a private company, IPN reports.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the completion of the criminal investigation and the submission of the case to court for substantive examination. The accused face charges of fraud.

The criminal case was initiated in April 2024. According to the evidence, the Material Reserves Agency organized a tender last year for the procurement of a specific type of metallic material. Several companies participated, with one initially declared the winner.

This decision was contested by another company. The National Agency for Complaints Settlement (ANSC) upheld the complaint, canceled the initial decision, and allowed the challenger to win the tender. Subsequently, the four public officials, in agreement with the three representatives of the winning company, visited the company’s warehouse to inspect the materials. Without ensuring that the company had the required materials in stock according to technical specifications, they officially designated it as the supplier.

The director of the Material Reserves Agency, misled by the four subordinates, signed a contract with the company, valued at 3,712,500 lei. Following investigations by law enforcement, the Material Reserves Agency under the Ministry of Internal Affairs was recognized as the injured party.

The defendants face sentences ranging from 8 to 15 years in prison, fines of 750,000 to 1,000,000 lei, and disqualification from holding certain positions or conducting specific activities for up to 5 years.

Furthermore, to ensure enforcement of the fine and potential confiscation, a seizure was placed on the assets owned by the defendants.

The accused have denied the charges. It is important to note that any person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final court decision.