The criminal case accusing the former director of the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), Vasile Botnari, of illicit enrichment and his mother-in-law of complicity has been sent to court. According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (PA), the incriminated acts took place between 2014 and 2019.

At that time, the accused held consecutive positions of public dignity (in Parliament, Government and SIS), during which time he purchased property through third parties, including his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the value of which far exceeded the financial means acquired by the accused.

“For example, in the period 2014-2019, the mother-in-law, being a pensioner, had an income of only about 329,000 lei in total, and also in the same period she accumulated real estate with a total value of over 19 million lei. The daughter, having no income during that period, acquired an apartment, parking space and car with a total value of over 5.9 million lei.

According to the evidence, after the criminal proceedings were initiated, real estate assets with a total value of over 24.5 million lei were identified, as well as a car worth over 4 million lei. Therefore, with the authorization of the investigating judge, the anti-corruption prosecutors applied protective measures in the form of seizure of these assets, with a view to their possible special confiscation,” PA officials said.

According to the law, illicit enrichment is punishable by a fine of between 400,000 and 500,000 lei or imprisonment of 7 to 15 years. In both cases, the law also provides for the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or carry out a certain activity for a period of 10 to 15 years. Vasile Botnari is currently on provisional release in the case of illicit enrichment. On 29 March, anti-corruption prosecutors raided the home of the former head of SIS.

In December 2020, the National Integrity Authority (ANI) investigated twice the money paid by former SIS director Vasile Botnari in the case of the expulsion of seven Turkish teachers.

The former director of SIS, Vasile Botnari, the only person involved in the case concerning the expulsion of the 7 Turkish teachers from the Orizont High School in the capital, who was sentenced to a suspended sentence in September 2020, has paid 125 thousand euros for the damage caused to the extradited Turkish teachers and has also paid 380 thousand lei for the charter plane that was rented to transport the teachers (in total the equivalent of 145 thousand euros).

ANI has therefore launched an investigation into the origin of the money Botnari paid. This money was not included in the declaration of assets and personal interests filed by the former SIS director at the time.

By a judgment of the Chisinau Buiucani Court of 15 July 2020, Vasile Botnari was sentenced to a criminal fine of 88,000 lei and deprived of the right to hold certain public offices for 5 years.