An employee of the internal customs post of the Chisinau Customs Office and five brokers are suspected of passive corruption and organization of an illegal scheme to obtain money from importers, IPN reports.
According to the National Anticorruption Center, taxes of 200 lei to 500 lei were collected for hastening the clearance of imported goods, of €150 to €500 for not physically checking the imported goods and of up to €3,000 for giving the declared merchandise tariff positions favorable to importers. In most of the cases, the money was collected through customs brokers.
On May 2, officers of the Center and anticorruption prosecutors carried out searches and looked for documents and other evidence that apply to the criminal case.
The six suspects are investigated outside remand. They face up to ten years in jail.
/1:38pm/ Searches at internal customs post
Officers of the National Anticorruption Center and anticorruption prosecutors are performing searches at an internal customs post amid suspicions of acts of passive corruption involving customs brokers and business entities, IPN reports.
According to press officer of the National Anticorruption Center Angela Starinski, a scheme was allegedly employed to regularly levy “protection” taxes from representatives of companies that import goods. The money was collected for hastening the customs procedures, for not physically checking the imported goods and for giving the declared merchandise tariff positions favorable to importers.