The Buiucani Court rejected the request of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office to extend the pretrial detention for the ex-president of the Lending Committee of Banca de Economii (BEM) Grigore Gachkevich for 30 days. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the suspect was set free in the courtroom. After the March 21 hearing, the prosecutors said they will challenge the court’s decision in the Appeals Court. However, shortly afterward the prosecutors and officers of the National Anticorruption Center arrested him again, IPN reports.

The Center said Grigore Gachkevich was escorted and familiarized with a new ordinance providing that he is suspected of a new offense related to the frauds committed at the BEM.

A month ago, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office sent to court the tenth case against the ex-president of the Lending Committee of the BEM who, together with another four former members of the Committee, violated the lending rules, causing thus considerable damage to the bank.

The prosecutors established that in 2010-2011, the former president, in cooperation with four members of the Lending Committee, illegally released loans to the value of 244 million lei to three companies. The Committee was to intervene and stop the provision of the loans and recover immediately the released amounts, but the suspects took no measures in this regard.

The five face a fine or up to six years in jail as well as ban on holding particular posts or performing particular activities for a maximum period of five years.