The director of the National Anti-Corruption Centre (NAC), Iulian Rusu, said on Friday, May 5, that the second person detained for 72 hours in the cases of abuse of office and embezzlement of foreign funds intended for refugees is the administrator of the temporary placement centre for refugees, who is also an employee of the General Directorate of Medical and Social Assistance of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC). According to him, so far searches have been carried out in 24 locations, but the raids continue today.

The head of the CNA said that 11 people were involved in the cases of abuse of office and embezzlement of foreign funds intended for refugees, but “the evidence gathered during yesterday’s raids (Wednesday, 4 May, editor’s note) has yet to be analysed in order to determine whether other people are involved”.

Asked by journalists what NAC officers and anti-corruption prosecutors found during the searches of the home of Boris Gîlca, head of the General Directorate for Medical and Social Assistance, who was also detained for 72 hours in the same case, Iulian Rusu said they had found “a Bosch vacuum cleaner, two microwaves, two heaters, four sleeping bags, eight boxes of crockery and several sets of food products”.

“(…) As regards the Temporary Placement Centre for Refugees in Studentilor Street, it was established that it is financed from budget allocations as well as from other sources of funding. We established that the financial support came from 8 international non-governmental organizations and its activity was managed by a territorial social assistance structure in coordination with the local public administration (…).

After examining the material evidence, reasonable suspicions emerged that since the creation of the Centre, the staff appointed for its activity, in agreement with public officials from the General Directorate of Medical and Social Assistance of the Chisinau Municipal Council, have erroneously included information on the distribution of aid, based on false signatures, of food and non-food goods necessary for the refugees’ living (…). These actions have caused considerable damage to the rights and interests protected by law of natural and legal persons. The extent of the damage is to be determined as the inventory of the assets seized in the course of the criminal proceedings is completed. Searches are continuing today at the Studentilor Street placement centre, with subsequent cross-checking against official records.

As for the administrator of the temporary placement centre for refugees, who is also an employee of the General Directorate for Medical and Social Assistance of the Chisinau City Council, including the head of the General Directorate for Medical and Social Assistance, these two persons were detained for 72 hours. The other persons are to be issued with an order of admission as suspects, with a hearing in that capacity.

Searches were carried out in 24 locations. We confirm that the head of the Directorate has been detained for 72 hours. There are several products that were directly found at his home: a Bosch vacuum cleaner, two microwaves, two heaters, four sleeping bags, eight boxes of crockery and several sets of food products (…)”, said Iulian Rusu.

Several goods, purchased from foreign and budgetary funds, intended for refugees from Ukraine, were embezzled by public officials from the General Directorate of Medical and Social Assistance of the Chisinau City Council in complicity with officials of a Temporary Placement Centre for Refugees (CTPR). The findings result from investigations by NAC officers, carried out jointly with anti-corruption prosecutors and employees of the National Investigation Inspectorate (INI) of the Police in criminal cases initiated for abuse of office and embezzlement of foreign 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. Studentilor 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.