Former prosecutor general Valeriu Balaban, who is accused of abuse of power, was placed in the remand prison of the National Anticorruption Center for a period of 30 days. The decision was taken by the Buiucani-based Court of Chisinau municipality on June 14, IPN reports.

A lawyer involved in the same case was also remanded in custody alongside Balaban. Two more suspects will stay under arrest for 25 days, while another two for 15 days. A businessman was set free by prospectors.

Valeriu Balaban, altogether with another six persons, was arrested on June 12. The ex-prosecutor general ordered to purchase an unfinished building in Chisinau, where the Prosecutor General’s Office was to be based, at the price of 9 million lei at a time when this cost slightly over 2.5 million lei according to the last appraisal. This was acquired in the absence of a public tender contest and of the required design documentation.

Later, despite the conclusions of experts, who pointed to serious faults in the purchased building, in the absence of an authorized reconstruction project and of the works assessment document, the members of the bidding group that was constituted by order of the ex-prosecutor general chose a business entity as a general contractor for executing the reconstruction works.  More than 18.8 million lei was allocated from the state budget for reconstructing the building so far, but the works haven’t been yet finished.