A former vice president of the Comrat Court has been found guilty in the "Laundromat" case for issuing rulings that violated the law. According to prosecutors, the judicial orders issued by the magistrate resulted in financial consequences amounting to approximately $1.2 billion. The Chișinău Court, Buiucani branch, found him guilty on two counts but released him from criminal punishment due to the statute of limitations, IPN reports.
The criminal case was initiated in September 2016 by the Prosecutor General, following an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. According to case materials, between 2011 and 2013, the former vice president of the Comrat Court issued an unlawful ruling in a civil case at the request of a company. The ruling involved the joint collection of a $500 million debt from alleged debtors.
In a second instance, using the same scheme, the judge issued another unlawful ruling in March 2013 in a separate civil case, again at the request of another company. This ruling involved the joint collection of a $700 million debt from alleged debtors.
The judicial orders in these civil cases had significant financial consequences ($1.2 billion), as they were transferred to a judicial executor who forcibly collected the sum from the alleged debtors' bank accounts in favor of the "creditor".
The criminal investigation lasted approximately four months, while the trial extended for more than eight years. The case was examined under general procedure, with the defendant consistently denying the charges. The case was reassigned three times to new judicial panels.
The verdict can be appealed to the Central Court of Appeal.
