Mihail Gofman, deputy head of the Office for Prevention and Control of Money Laundering (SPBC), is one of the richest employees at NAC. Officially, he declared assets of 3.8 million lei, but in reality his wealth would be 10 times bigger. ZdG identified suspicious transactions that he made in early 2013. The house in which he lives, a building with two floors and an attic, worth 11 million lei, located in the district of “Poiana Domneasca” from Durlesti, was stated on his mother. His companies has entered in the name of his brother, and few real estates he gave as a “gift” to his godfather who has businesses in Moldova and Romania. At the same time, the farm from Boscana, with an annex of 10 constructions, is passed in the name of a 93 -year old woman, who is also mother of Court president Edinet.

Officially, Mihail Gofman indicated in the statement of income and assets for 2012 that has an apartment, a room, three buildings, two garages, seven lands with an area of ​​approximately 15 ha, a farm with 68 sheep and 5 cows, two companies, a bank deposit of 1.8 million lei and two cars Hyundai Santa FE model, both worth over 600 thousand lei.

In 2008, deputy from SPBC signed a lease with Moldsilva Agency, through which he came into possession of 3 hectares of forest in the town Durlesti, located on the wayside Chisinau- Leuseni. In 2010, across the leased forest, Gofman has bought a plot of 685 m², which he entered in the name of his mother, Ritta Gofman, a 67 -year-old retired, Russian language teacher, who lives in the village Bolduresti, Nisporeni. On that land he has built a two-storey house, with attic and a pool in the courtyard. The total area being 193.1 m², and reception dating back to early 2013. This building was also registered in Ritta Gofman’s name. According to real estate experts, the house is worth approximately 11 million lei, also due to location.

Gofman, driving a Hyundai Santa FE in “Poiana Domneasca”

On February 27^th, at 7 am, ZdG reporters went to photograph Gofman ‘s house. When we turned right from Balcan road, we faced an indicator that says “Poiana Domneasca”. We walked about 200 meters and met with Gofman, right next to his house. He was driving a Hyundai Santa FE car. We made some pictures, then we headed to the village Bolduresti, Nisporeni, to see what living conditions has his mother, on whose name is inscribed a housing worth 11 million lei and a company.

We arrived in the centre of the village Bolduresti. Not far from the school, in a modest house, lives Ritta Gofman. The gate is padlocked. “Ritta is a teacher in the village and at Isaicani school, over the hill. Every day, coming home around three. In Chisinau she has no home. She lives here. There live her boys”, says a neighbor. The fact that the mother of Assistant at SPBC within NAC is a simple teacher and not a businesswoman, we get convinced when accessing the website of the District Council Nisporeni, where we find a document that confirms that, in 2012, the District Council granted “teacher from “Valeriu Bulicanu liceum” in Bolduresti a unique compensation of 750 lei, for connection to the gas pipeline”.

Gofman’s transactions with a 93 years old grandmother

“It’s my mother’s house. I live on Stefan cel Mare”, says Mihail Gofman. When I said that ZdG reporters surprised him in the morning, leaving from the house worth millions from Durlesti, he answered us: “What do you want from me? Do you need shows? Do it! If you want, write the house on me, if no, don’t … “.

In the statement of income and properties, Mihail Gofman indicated that owns an apartment with an attic, worth 102 thousand lei, equivalent to 5 thousand euros. According to cadastral data, this apartment with an area of 185 m² is located on the blvd. Stefan cel Mare nr. 71, next to Prosecutor’s Center. According to real estate experts, the market price of this apartment would be 30-40 thousand euros. Also at this address, Gofman has two storage rooms.

Farm from the commune Boscana, Criuleni, covers an area of 18 ha, with an appendix of 10 buildings and a total area of 9 thousand m². According to cadastral data, on March 27^th, 2012, Mihail Gofman and his relative, Anatolie Banarescu, Vice President of the National Union of Bailiffs (NUB), are buying the whole farm from Boscana. Two months later, in May 2013, the owner becomes Maria Sterletcaia, 93 years old, residing in the village Cupcini, Edinet.

Gofman: “Oh, God …”

She is the mother of President of Edinet Court, Nina Banarescu, and grandmother of Anatolie Banarescu. “She is barely moving. I know her daughter comes from Edinet and takes her, then brings her back”, tells us a social worker from Cupcini. In the name of the old woman Maria Sterletcaia are entered several apartment houses, including an apartment from Chisinau, on bd. Mircea cel Batrin, 9, where also has his residence vice of National Union of Baliffs. We have contacted Nina Banarescu to find out if she knows how her mother became a millionaire overnight. “So what if she is listed and there, and there … Do you think she can now talk to you? She is now in a serious condition. You can not talk to her. What do I know, I know. Do not  get me involved in there. Goodbye”, told us president of Court Edinet.

“It was always my property. From where did you get information that it was owned by Gofman? What’s the problem that now the farm is grandmother’s? It is her property. I am just the trusted person. You have inhuman manners … You have an ugly newspaper, with which you are only dirtying, but doing nothing. Goodbye!” contradicts in statements Anatolie Banarescu, Vice UNEJ, who is the son of President of Court Edinet.

Contacted by ZdG Mihail Gofman has confirmed that is relative with Banarescu, that does business with him, and he also acknowledged that manages a part of the farm from Boscana. “Oh, God … I know Sterletcaia and even better her grandson, Banarescu. I see nothing wrong with that. Half of the farm is mine. I do not know, this is the situation, I do not know whether you like it or not”, says Gofman.

Companies listed on brother and on a Russian citizen

Family and business relationships of Gofman with Banarescu we found in several real estate transactions. At Hancesti, Gofman family sue a relative for the ownership of several buildings, which have previously purchased from “Moldovagaz” SA, and in the list of bailiffs who seized the buildings in question is also found Gofman’s godfather, Anatol Banarescu.

Also in this story appears Valeriu Tulbu, another godfather of the CNA dignitary, which received as donation a part of the constructions from Hanceşti. Previously, he was involved in the scandal of the fountain from Boscana, which supplies with water the local school and kindergarden. In Moldova, Valeriu Tulbu appears as founder of three transport companies, and in Romania holds a majority stake in another transport company, Basarabia Trans Ltd.

In the income statement for 2012, Mihail Gofman wrote that firms Privat Imobil Ltd and BG AGROSER Ltd., which leased from Moldsilva 25 acres of forest in Durlesti, and where he appears as single founder, he has alienated at the beginning of 2013. According to data from the State Registration Chamber, founders of both companies became Alexei Gofman, brother of Mihail Gofman, who owns 50 %, and Eduard Venger, a citizen of Russia, who holds the other 50%.

Mother of CNA employee, associated in a firm with the mother of judge from Edinet

At the same time, Ritta Gofman is associated with the 93 -year old, Maria Sterletcaia, in agricultural cooperative of production “Agrogrup-Viitorul”, based in Zaicana, Criuleni. In this company they own a 16.6 % shareholding, together with four other associates. In particular, the firm is engaged in farming and road haulage.

Mihail Gofman was hired in 2002 at the Office for Prevention and Control of Money Laundering (SPBC) as senior auditor-controller. A year later, he was appointed as Deputy Head of the Department of combating crimes in the banking system and money laundering investigations operative Department SPBC, then reorganized into autonomous subdivision Service of Prevention and Combating Money Laundering.

On 2^nd of February 2009, Gofman was demoted from the position of deputy chief of Servive of Prevention and Combating Money Laundering, and in August 2009 he was transferred to the position of Chief of anticorruption programs of SPBC. Gofman challenged in court the order of SPBC asking to be reinstated to the position of Deputy Chief of Prevention and Control of Money Laundering Service. In late 2009, the Court of Appeal Chisinau quashed the order of SPBC and reinstated Mihail Gofman as chief deputy. SPBC appealed to the Supreme Court (SC), and subsequently filed a petition and withdrew the appeal.

To remind that ZdG did a Top 10 of luxury cars of officers from CAN, and Mihail Gofman ranks second in the standings, with two cars Hyundai Santa FE model, manufactured and purchased in 2009—2010.

Iurie SANDUTA