Finance minister accused officially

Minister of Finance Veaceslav Negruta has been officially accused in the Sandulachi case. The information was confirmed for Publika TV by anticorruption prosecutor Ruslan Popov, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Negruta is accused of abuse of power. He was invited and familiarized with the accusation. He was also questioned. His statements will be verified and corroborated. We don’t have reasons to believe that Negruta can intervene or hinder the investigation,” said Popov, quoted on the electronic page of Publika TV. Under the Criminal Code, Veaceslav Negruta faces up to six years in jail. The minister is accused of paying considerable damages to former MP Pantelei Sandulachi in the absence of a definitive court decision. Sandulachi received damages of €400,000 for the delay in examining a criminal case. Earlier, Veaceslav Negruta stated that he acted in accordance with the law. He said he fulfilled an order made by the Court of Appeals in 2012. He also said that he was the victim of blackmail, while the ‘show’ in the media on this case was an element of financial terrorism.