An ex-bailiff was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison for embezzlement of foreign property. He was accused of fraud in particularly large proportions, resulting in material damage estimated at almost 1.7 million lei. The sentence was passed by the Court of Chisinau City, IPN reports.

The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office said that the criminal investigation was initiated based on a complaint submitted by an authorized administrator. According to the investigation, the defendant, who was managing an enforcement procedure to collect a debt of 2.3 million lei from a private economic entity, for the benefit of a state-owned enterprise, received a total of 2.4 million lei from the private economic entity. However, he transferred only 676,000 lei to the special account of the state-owned enterprise, keeping the difference, which he withdrew in cash and later used for personal purposes.

The case was examined in the absence of the defendant, who is wanted. The sentence also stipulates that the former bailiff will have to pay 1.6 million lei damages to the state-owned enterprise. In order to ensure the compensation of the damage, the seizure of his assets in a total amount of approximately 200,000 lei was maintained.