Vice governor of the National Bank of Moldova Ion Sturzu, acting Minister of Finance Anatol Arapu and head of the Parliament’s commission of inquiry into the situation in the financial-banking sector Marcel Raducan were summoned by anticorruption prosecutors for being questioned within the extended investigation into the case of Banca de Economii (BEM). The officials were questioned about the circumstances related to the banking frauds and the measures taken to ensure security in the financial system, IPN reports.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), within the same case the investigation group recently questioned acting minister of justice Vladimir Grosu, Deputy Speaker Liliana Palihovici, MP Oleg Reidman, former minister of finance Veaceslav Negruta, former head of the Parliament’s commission on economy, budget and finance Veaceslav Ionita and former head of the National Commission for Financial Markets Artur Gherman.
On July 10, the vice director of the Public Property Agency and a former deputy minister of economy were classed as suspects in the case of BEM. These are suspected of professional negligence through inappropriate fulfillment of their duties in July – August 2013 as a result of which the state’s controlling interest in BEM was lost.
The prosecutors ordered seizing documents from the Parliament Building, the Government’s State Chancellery, the National Bank of Moldova, the Public Property Agency, the Ministry of Finance and the National Committee for Financial Stability. When the investigation group examines the given documents, the prosecutors will question new persons holding public posts.
On May 25, the PGO extended the investigation into the case of stealing from Banca de Economii, Banca Sociala and Unibank. The prosecutor general announced a series of planned measures, including questioning and searches at responsible institutions. The investigation group includes prosecutors, all the anticorruption prosecutors, investigation officers, investigators and experts.
