The director of the National Anticorruption Center Viorel Chetraru, in the December 2 special sitting of Parliament, provided details about the investigation conducted in the bank frauds. According to him, the Center started more than 40 criminal cases over the frauds committed at Banca de Economii (BEM), half of which were sent to court. Fourteen persons were charged, while eight persons continue to be investigated. A large part of the caused damage can be recovered, IPN reports.
Viorel Chetraru stated that there are investigated over 50 cases concerning release of loans, based on the ‘shuttle principle’, when a new loan was taken out to repay the previous one and so on. The directors of the involved banks are still determining the value of the loans and their beneficiaries. Almost 400 persons were investigated within these cases and there were carried out over 100 searches.
According to the director of the National Anticorruption Center, the circuit of the money stolen from the banking sector was established and there were identified the beneficiaries of about US$200 million. This money reached such states as Switzerland, Estonia, China, Russia and others and was spent on investments, realty and purchases of services. A large part of the money returned to the country and some of this can be recovered if the information about the purchases made outside is confirmed.
When the state lost the controlling interest at BEM in 2013, the state institutions were informed about the schemes existing in the banking system and that Banca de Economii could go bankrupt. The prosecutors are to determine the officials responsible for this area, who didn’t intervene when it was necessary, and to investigate these.
Asked if political interference was witnessed within the investigation, Viorel Chetraru said that the hearings held today can also be described as political interference in this case. Asked by the Liberals’ leader Mihai Ghimpu if he knows who the main ‘author’ of this theft is, Chetraru said that he knows, but will not give names as this information cannot be made public.
Though the MPs initially agreed to hold the special sitting of Parliament behind closed doors, after Prosecutor General Corneliu Gurin was questioned, it was decided that the meeting will be public. The MPs are to also question the head of the Security and Intelligence Service Mihai Balan, the National Bank governor Dorin Dragutanu and acting minister of finance Anatol Arapu.
