The Prosecutor General’s Office has announced it is starting an internal investigation after Gazeta de Chișinău weekly published an article alleging wrongdoing by a Chisinau prosecutor detached to the Organized Crime Prosecution Service.

The probe will look into the details of the case mentioned in the paper. “The Prosecution Service is dissociating itself with any activities that run counter to the procedural rules or which represent disciplinary deviations or violations of the Prosecutor’s Code of Ethics,” the PGO said in a statement.

According to the article, prosecutor Pavel Vinițchi insisted that a young man be arrested on drug peddling charges before releasing him from detention. The man complained that Vinițchi had solicited a 15,000 euros bribe and released him so that he could find the money. The prosecutor denies any wrongdoing, saying that he is being maligned.