High-profile cases sent to court in 2023

03.11.2023

The Anti-corruption Prosecution Office completed the criminal investigation and sent several high-profile criminal cases to court in 2023, including cases in which high-ranking subjects from the three powers of the state are accused, including a former president, prime minister, minister, current and former deputies, as well as subjects from the judiciary, including a judge, two prosecutors for acts of corruption and a suspended chief of the National Anticorruption Center. Prosecutors also sent three additional episodes from the Bank Fraud case to court, including the first case against Vladimir Plahotniuc and the case against Vladimir Andronachi, who was arrested upon entering the country.

Below, you can learn more about these cases, including seizure amounts (the sum that would be forfeited to the state upon conviction), the court and judges hearing these cases, and the hearings that have taken place and which are scheduled.

High-profile cases sent to court in 2023

High ranking subjects – Presidency, Government, Parliament

  1. Chisinau International Airport Case

  • Subjects: former Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, former Minister of the Economy, former director of the Public Property Agency, former deputy director of the Public Property Agency, former deputy head of the Directorate within the Property Agency, former acting general director of ÎS Chisinau International Airport, former financial director of ÎS International Airport Chisinau, head of the economic analysis service of ÎS International Airport Chisinau

    • Facts: It is alleged that, during 2013, the defendants, intentionally abusing their positions, prepared and actually transferred to a private party the State Enterprise Chisinau International Airport in the interest of a criminal group and criminal organization, which caused the state, represented by the Public Property Agency, material damage in the amount of over 392 million lei MDL (art. 30, 45, 52 para. (2), 327 para. (3) Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 3 to 8 years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise a certain activity for a term of 10 to 15 years

    • Seizure: 189 million lei MDL

    • Investigation started: 2014

    • Sent to court: May 2023, Chisinau District Court Buiucani, Judge D. Chistol

  1. Dodon Case

    • Subjects: former President of the Republic of Moldova, his wife and a doctor

    • Facts: The subjects are accused of having, by common agreement, made, possessed and used a false medical certificate, with the aim of presenting it to the court and the Prosecutor's Office, in order to obtain permission to go abroad (art. 361 para. (2) letter b) Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment up to 5 years or a fine from 27,500 to 47,500 lei

    • Investigation started: 2023

    • Sent to court: March 2023, Chisinau s. Buiucani Court, Judge T. Stambol, later connected, Judge A. Catană

  2. Illegal Financing of the Shor Political Party Case

    • Subjects: deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and the legal entity "Sor" Political Party

    • Facts: The subjects are accused of four charges for falsifying reports on the financing of the electoral campaign and the political party and accepting illegal financing from an organized criminal group, the total amount of illicit money constituting more than 195 million MDL (art. 30, para. 42 (2), 45, 181 2 para. (1), (5) Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 2 to 7 years or a fine ranging from 57,500 to 92,500 lei, in both cases with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or exercise certain activities for a period of 2 to 5 years

    • Seizure: 10 million lei MDL

    • Investigation started: 2022

    • Sent to court: June 2023, Chisinau District Court Buiucani, Judge O. Bejenari

  3. Member of Parliament – illegal campaign finance

    • Subjects: deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and a regional councilmember

    • Facts: A member of Parliament and her husband, a district councilor of the Ocnița District Council, were charged with the crime of knowingly accepting the financing of a political party from an organized criminal group and complicity in the aforementioned crime, namely for paying USD $30,000 to a mayor in order to strengthen the electoral position of the "Renaștere" Political Party (art. 42 alin. (2), 42 alin.(5), 1812 alin.(5) Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 2 to 7 years or a fine ranging from 57,500 to 92,500 lei, in both cases with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or exercise certain activities for a period of 2 to 5 years

    • Seizure: 477 500 lei MDL

    • Investigation started: 2023

    • Sent to court: November 2023, Chisinau District Court Buiucani, V. Grigoraș

  4. Member of Parliament - illicit enrichment

    • Subjects: former deputy in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and accomplices

    • Facts: The former deputy was referred to justice, being charged with the crimes of illicit enrichment and false declarations (art. 330 2 para. (2), 352 1 para. (2) Criminal Code). In the same criminal case, his son is also accused, who is accused of participating as an accomplice in the commission of the crime of illicit enrichment of a person holding a position of public dignity.

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 7 to 15 years or a fine in the amount of 400,000 to 500,000 lei, in both cases with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise a certain activity for a period of 10 to 15 years

    • Seizure: 1,630,632 lei MDL

    • Investigation started: 2022

    • Sent to court: March 2023, Chisinau s. Buiucani District Court, Judge N. Patrașcu

High ranking subjects - Justice

  1. Prosecutor - passive corruption

    • Subjects: Prosecutor and lawyer

    • Facts: A prosecutor from the Orhei District Prosecutor's Office and a lawyer were referred to justice accused of demanding and receiving 10,000 euros for the requalification of the crime, the prosecutor being accused of committing passive corruption, falsifying evidence in the criminal trial and falsifying public documents (art. 324 para. (3) letter a, 310 para. 2) and 332 para. (2) lit. b) Criminal Code), and the lawyer who carried out his activity in the municipality of Chisinau, being accused of committing the crime of influence peddling, active corruption and the use of false official documents (art. 326 para. (2) letter c) and d), 325 para. (3) lit. a1) and 361 para. (1) Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 7 to 15 years, a fine of 400,000 to 500,000 lei, with the deprivation of the right to hold certain public positions for a period of 10 to 15 years

    • Investigation started: 2022

    • Sent to court: January 2023, Orhei Court, Judge E. Buzu, later moved to Chisinau s. Buiucani Court, Judge V. Cernalev

  2. Prosecutor - passive corruption

    • Subjects: Prosecutor

    • Facts: A prosecutor from the Călărași District Prosecutor's Office was referred to justice, being charged with the crime of corruption, because he allegedly claimed and received 300 Euros in exchange for supporting the request for the rehabilitation of a convicted person, pending examination by the court. passive (art. 324 para. (3) letter a) of the Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 7 to 15 years, a fine of 400,000 to 500,000 lei, with the deprivation of the right to hold certain public positions for a period of 10 to 15 years

    • Investigation started: 2022

    • Sent to court: March 2023, Străseni s. Călărași Court, Judge M. Grosu

  3. Judge – false statements

    • Subjects: Judge

    • Facts: The judge was referred to the court, accused of having included incomplete or false data in the declaration of wealth and personal interests, in order to create a false appearance regarding the acquired income and unjustified increase thereof with the total amount of 866,916 lei (art. 352 1 paragraph (2) of the Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine from 2,000 to 30,000 lei, in both cases with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise a certain activity for a period of 2 to 5 years

    • Investigation started: 2022

    • Sent to court: March 2023, Hîncești Court, Judge L. Roic-Botezatu

  4. Chief in the National Anti-corruption Center - illicit enrichment

    1. Subjects: Suspended chief of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the National Anticorruption Center and four accomplices

    2. Facts: The criminal case of indictment of the suspended head of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation of the National Anticorruption Center arrived at the magistrates' table, being charged with 14 charges, expressed in the commission of the crime of illicit enrichment, illegal practice of financial activity and forgery in the declarations of wealth and personal interests and four other accomplices of his, being charged with the crime of complicity in the commission of the crime of illicit enrichment and the illegal practice of financial activity (art. 42 para. (2), 3302 para. (1), 42 para. (3), 2411 para. (2), 352 1, 3521 para. (2) Criminal Code).

      1. Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 3 to 7 years or a fine from 300,000 to 400,000 lei, in both cases with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise a certain activity for a period of 10 to 15 years

    3. Investigation started: 2021

    4. Seizure: 26 million lei MDL

    5. Sent to court: October 2023, Chisinau District Court Buiucani, Judge L. Cușca

      1. Court hearings: file 1-23150442-12-1-23102023

Bank Fraud Investigation

  1. Vladimir Plahotniuc case

    • Subjects: Vladimir Plahtoniuc (former deputy)

    • Facts: The separate criminal case from the generically named "Bank Fraud" regarding Vladimir Plahotniuc arrived at the judges' table, being charged with the crime of creating and leading a criminal organization, fraud and money laundering, through which he would have benefited of financial means stolen from Banca de Economii, Unibank and Banca Socială in the total amount of USD 39,284,000 and EUR 3,518,705 (art. 284 par.(1), 30, 42 par.(3), 190 par. (5) and 30, 243 par. (3) letters a) and b) Criminal Code).

      • Maximum penalty: prison from 8 to 15 years

  2.  

    • Seizure: 1,105,866,900 lei MDL

    • Investigation started: 2014

    • Sent to court: July 2023, Chisinau s. Buiucani District Court, Judges T. Postolachi, D. Guzun, R. Popescu-Balta (complete)

  3. Vladimir Andronachi case

  • Subjects: Vladimir Andronachi (former deputy) and Mihail Blonschi

  • Facts: The separate criminal case from the case generically called "Bank Fraud" reached the judges' table regarding Vladimir Andronachi, accused of committing the crimes of fraud and money laundering in particularly large proportions, as well as an accomplice, accused of committing the crime of money laundering through complicity, in particularly large proportions, in the interests of the criminal group part of the criminal organization. As a result of the facts imputed to the accused, the state of the Republic of Moldova was prejudiced in the amount of over 26 million MDL (art. 190 para. (6), 243 para. (3) Criminal Code).
    •  
      • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 8 to 15 years with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise a certain activity for a term of up to 5 years

  • Seizure: 26 million lei MDL

  • Investigation started: 2014

  • Sent to court: March 2023, Chisinau County Buiucani District Court, Judge Gh. Balan

  1. Emma Tăbîrță case 

  • Subjects: Emma Tăbîrță, former vice-governor of the National Bank of Moldova

  • Facts: An episode from the "Bank Fraud" case was sent to court, regarding the former vice-governor of the National Bank of Moldova ( NBM), Emma Tăbîrță, accused of complicity in committing the crime of fraud, committed with the use of the situation work, by a criminal organization, as well as money laundering, committed by several people, using the work situation, by a criminal organization, in particularly large proportions. It is alleged that her actions allowed the members of the criminal organization to embezzle money equivalent to over 2.5 billion lei MDL and to integrate the embezzled money into the legal circuit of the Republic of Moldova and other states (art. 42, 190 par. (6), 42 para. (5), 243 para. (3) Criminal Code).
    • Maximum penalty: imprisonment from 8 to 15 years with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise a certain activity for a term of up to 5 years

  • Seizure: 61,574,675 lei MDL

  • Investigation started: 2014

  • Sent to court: April 2023, Chisinau s. Buiucani Court, Judge P. Păun, subsequently connected, Judges L. Beșliu, A. Catană, A. Negru (panel)

Other

  1. Air Moldova case

  • Subjects: General Director and Deputy Director of the State Enterprise "Air Moldova" Airline Company

  • Facts: The subjects are accused of exceeding the limits of their duties, by public persons, namely, the general director and the deputy director of the State Enterprise "Air Moldova" Airline Company, who during the years 2018-2019, at the conclusion of the wet-lease contract no. 0285 of 17.05.2018, caused damage in particularly large proportions to the legal entity under public law, the state, represented by the Public Property Agency, in the amount of MDL 36,690,567.90 and to the legal entity under private law, SRL "Air Moldova" , in the amount of 83 340 455 lei MDL (art. 328 par. (1) Criminal Code).
    • Maximum penalty: imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine ranging from 23,500 to 57,500 lei MDL, in both cases with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or to exercise a certain activity for a period of 2 to 5 years

  • Seizure: 12,289,183 lei MDL

  • Investigation started: 2021

  • Sent to court: May 2023, Chisinau s. Buiucani Court, Judge A. Cucerescu

Updated: 16.11.2023

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