A 44-year-old man from Chisinau, who was previously convicted in Romania for burglaries committed in the European Union, was arrested in the Republic of Moldova on suspicion of money laundering. He allegedly used the illegally obtained money to buy real estate and valuable goods in Moldova, thus trying to hide the origin of the ill-gotten gains, IPN reports.
According to the National Investigation Inspectorate’s Organized Crime Division and the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Special Cases, the man was a member of a criminal group along with two other Moldovans, who were already convicted and imprisoned in Romania. The group purportedly caused damage estimated at over 980,000 lei through domestic and non-domestic burglaries in the EU. Although he was also convicted, the native of Chisinau was given a suspended sentence and was obliged to appear periodically before the Romanian authorities, but he did not do this.
According to the authorities, in order to hide the proceeds of crime, the members of the group bought apartments and cars in the Republic of Moldova, using relatives and other trusted persons. During the searches at suspects' homes, the police seized radio stations, equipment, surveillance cameras, draft documents and luxury watches stolen in the EU.
Prosecutors asked for 30 days of remand detention for the man and the decision is to be taken by the Ciocana Court of Chisinau City.
