Several goods, purchased with foreign and budgetary funds, destined for refugees from Ukraine, were allegedly embezzled by public officials from the General Directorate of Medical and Social Assistance of the Chisinau Municipal Council in complicity with officials of a temporary placement centre for refugees (CTPR). The findings are the result of investigations by officers of the National Anti-Corruption Centre (NAC), carried out jointly with anti-corruption prosecutors and employees of the National Investigation Inspectorate (INI) of the Police in criminal cases involving abuse of office and embezzlement of external funds.

On Thursday, May 4, CNA together with prosecutors and investigation officers of INI conducted 24 raids on several addresses, including the headquarters of the temporary placement centre for refugees in Chisinau municipality, str. Students 7/5, in the garages/warehouses and accessory buildings, located at this address with the purpose of detecting and seizing documents, memorandum entries (personal diaries, sheets, notebooks, other material carriers of information), funds obtained as a result of criminal activity, funds obtained from the sale of goods intended for refugees and procured from external funds. Criminal prosecutions also targeted employees of the General Directorate for Medical and Social Assistance of the Chisinau Municipal Council.

“As a result of the searches at the above-mentioned premises and at the homes of some suspects, several boxes of food products, hygiene items and products, household appliances (microwave ovens, electric stoves, vacuum cleaner), sleeping bags, crockery and other goods allegedly stolen from the warehouse of the temporary placement centre for refugees were found. As a result, two employees of the General Directorate of Medical and Social Assistance of the Chisinau Municipal Council were detained for 72 hours,” a CNA statement said.

In the framework of criminal prosecution and special investigative measures, it was established that the staff assigned to the work of the CTPR, while on duty, systematically stole food and non-food products (including large and small household appliances, furniture, bed linen, etc.) in considerable proportions that were purchased from external funds for refugees.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is leading the prosecution.

The mayor of the capital, Ion Ceban, announced that law enforcement officers also raided Boris Gîlca, head of the General Directorate of Medical and Social Assistance. The capital’s mayor made several accusations against the ruling party.

Temporary placement centre for refugees in Studenților Street 7/5, mun. Chisinau, intended for temporary placement of refugees from Ukraine in connection with the military conflict, was created under the provisions of the Parliament Decision No. 41/2022, on the declaration of a state of emergency, paragraph 19 of Order No. 1 of 24 February 2022 of the Commission for Exceptional Situations of the Republic of Moldova and the order of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection No. 21 of 26.02.2022. The CPTR is financed from budgetary allocations as well as from other sources of funding that do not contravene the legislation, the main financial support being from non-governmental organisations, and its activity being administered by the territorial structure of social assistance in coordination with the local public administration.