The Deputy Director of the Public Procurement Agency Ghenadie Grib and the former Health Minister Svetlana Cebotari were detained for 72 hours following raids conducted on Monday, June 7 at the Republican Blood Transfusion Center and the Public Procurement Agency. The prosecutors request a 30-day arrest warrant in the case of rigging medical tenders.

“Prosecutors have submitted a request to the Chișinău Court for a 30 days arrest. Ghenadie Grib was detained for 72 hours. Today at 14:30 the court will examine the request. He is accused of complicity in the abuse of office using his position in personal interest for rigging tenders,” said Victoria Furtuna.

Victoria Furtuna told Ziarul de Gardă that “Svetlana Cebotari is accused of abuse of office using her position as director of the Republican Blood Transfusion Center.”

On Monday, June 7, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office carried out several searches within the Republican Blood Transfusion Center and the Public Procurement Agency. Following the raids, prosecutors detained three people: the head of the Republican Blood Transfusion Center, former Minister of Health, Svetlana Cebotari, her lawyer, and Ghenadie Grib, a deputy director of the Public Procurement Agency.

In 2015, the deputy head of the Public Procurement Agency, Ghenadie Grib, was detained for rigging medical tenders. Svetlana Cebotari held the position of Minister of Health in the Democratic Government led by Pavel Filip. In 2018 she was fired and replaced by Silvia Radu. Since then, Cebotari has returned to head the Republican Blood Transfusion Center.