The National Anticorruption Center said two businessmen, the founder and the administrator of a Balti-based company, are suspected of illegally felling 9 hectares of forest in Ivanovca village of Falesti district. The damage caused to the state was assessed at over 1 million lei, IPN reports.
The businessmen rented 28 hectares of forest for using these for hunting purposes. However, together with other private individuals, they illegally cut down 9 hectares of forest in order to dig a lake and to make two access roads to this.
Anticorruption officers and prosecutors established that the businessmen acted in collusion with functionaries of the Ecological Inspectorate and the state-owned forest company Balti. Proofs relevant to this case were seized as a result of a number of searches at the three companies on November 16.
The case is managed by the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office. If the two are found guilty, they will be fined up to 2,350 conventional units (a c.u. is equal to 50 lei) or will be jailed for two to six years.
Contacted by IPN, engineer of the state-run forest company “Moldsilva” Alexei Palancean said the planting of a hectare of forest costs 10,000 to 12,000 lei, while the trees become mature in 25 to 100 years.
