Five persons, among whom former Health Minister Andrei Usatyi, have been charged in the case concerning the mortgaging of the first floor of the National Clinical Hospital. The case, started over misuse of power by functionaries of the Health Ministry, was submitted to prosecutors, IPN reports.

In a communique, the National Anticorruption Center informs that the ex-health minister, the acting head of the National Clinical Hospital, a notary, a state registrar and the head of the Health Ministry’s Legal Division are accused of causing considerable damage to the public interests and private individuals’ rights and interests protected by the law.

The Health Ministry, the National Clinical Hospital, SRL “Magnific”, as the investor, and SRL “Euromed Diagnostic”, as the private partner, signed a contract to establish a private public partnership for providing radiology and imagistic diagnosis services for the Hospital for a period of 12 years. On October 14, 2012, the private partner asked the Ministry to issue it with a letter of guarantee that it needs to present to a bank. The minister signed the letter by which he consented to mortgaging public property.

Afterwards, the acting director of the National Clinical Hospital, with the consent of the Ministry, expressed through the letter of guarantee, signed the mortgage contract with the bank and ordered reorganizing the Hospital. As a result, the bank obtained the right to come into possession of the Hospital’s partner. A public notary and a registrar are also investigated as they didn’t have the right to authenticate and, respectively, to register the mentioned contract.

The case is to be sent to court.