The former judge and member of the Superior Council of Magistracy Nina Cernat tried to deposit €145,000 at a bank in the Republic of Moldova to buy a house in Austria. The transaction was refused by the bank because the origin of the money could not be established. As a result, the National Integrity Agency (NIA) initiated the control of the former judge’s assets, IPN reports.

According to the Agency’s inspection initiation report, Nina Cernat said that the financial means come from the salaries and pensions paid to her during 2016-2024, but she did not present any document that would confirm the currency exchange operations regarding the purchase of the amount of €145,000. She said that the currency exchange operations were carried out at a number of exchange offices, but she did not keep the cash receipts. She also noted that over the years, she kept the financial means at home and did not use them for other purposes. Later, she wants to transfer them to her daughter in Austria to purchase property.

The NIA verified Nina Cernat’s last property declaration, which was submitted on May 30, 2024, at the end of her tenure as a member of the Superior Council of Magistracy. The integrity inspector established a difference between the amount that Nina Cernat declared and the amount of €145,000 that she tried to deposit at the bank.

“Accordingly, the procedure for the control of the assets and personal interests of Mrs. Nina Cernat needs to be initiated in order to establish the origin and financial capacity to accumulate the cash savings reflected in the property and personal interests declaration, as well as to verify the allegations invoked in the notification as the stated circumstances can only be verified within the control of the assets and personal interests,” reads the document issued by the NIA.

Nina Cernat resigned from the position of judge of the Chisinau Court of Appeals and that of member of the Superior Council of Magistracy in May 2024.