Six people have been found guilty of violating lending rules in the case known as the "Banca Sociala" case. One of the six was sentenced to 4 years in prison, while the other five were fined 60,000 lei. According to prosecutors, the financial institution suffered damages of nearly 127 million lei in 2013. The court ordered the recovery of this amount from the defendants' accounts, IPN reports.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office specified that the defendants include the chairman of the board of directors, the deputy chairman of the board, board members of the bank, and an administrator of a company. They were charged with deliberately violating lending rules under aggravated circumstances.

The 4-year prison sentence was imposed on the company administrator, who was placed in preventive detention until the final sentence is issued.

The board members of BC "Banca Sociala" were fined and banned from holding positions or engaging in financial-banking activities for a period of 5 years. The court also ordered that approximately 127 million lei, representing damages caused by the crime, be jointly recovered from the defendants for the benefit of BC "Banca Sociala", which is in the process of liquidation.

The criminal case was initiated in May 2017. According to evidence presented in court, at the beginning of 2013, the chairman of the BC "Banca Sociala" board, acting together with board members and two other individuals, decided to grant loans with irregularities. They were aware that the group of companies was unable to repay loans previously contracted from BC "Banca Sociala" SA. Including interest and penalties, the loans exceeded 140 million lei, while the assets pledged or mortgaged to the bank were insufficient to cover the full repayment.

The board members decided to grant loans to these companies, some of which did not even have the funds to pay notary fees for the sale-purchase of goods for which the credit was contracted. Consequently, the defendants’ actions caused the financial institution significant damages amounting to nearly 127 million lei.

The criminal investigation lasted almost two years, and the trial took six years, with the defendants denying their guilt. However, the court found six people guilty. One defendant's case was dismissed due to death, and one defendant was acquitted as no criminal elements were found in her actions.

Additionally, to ensure the enforcement of fines and the recovery of damages caused by the crime, the seizure of the defendants' assets was maintained.

The sentence of the Chisinau Court, Buiucani office, can be appealed at the Chisinau Court of Appeal, Central Division.