Moldova: A former MP risks up to 8 years in prison, for damaging the state budget by 152,000 Euro
The former deputy to the first Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Pantelei Sandulachi, risks up to 8 years of imprisonment for self-indulgence, resulting in damaging the state budget by approx. 152,000 Euros. His case was sent to trial by the Anti corruption Prosecutor’s Office, which completed the prosecution. The former Finance Minister Veaceslav Negruta was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment in the same criminal case.
In 2012, the Chisinau Court of Appeal obliged the state to pay Mr. Sandulachi moral and material damage amounting to 400,000 Euros for delaying the examination of his file after the former Communist government had manufactured two criminal cases against him, having him between courts for 9 years, a period in which he would have lost his business.
Even though the court’s decision was not irrevocable, the Ministry of Finance ordered it to be executed and transferred the amount to the former MP’s bank account.
Subsequently, the General Prosecutor’s Office challenged the decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal at the Supreme Court of Justice, and after several court cases, the Supreme Court decided that Sandulachi would receive only 1,000 euros, and the rest of the money would return to the state.
Knowing about the decision of the Supreme Court, and having in mind about 399,000 Euros, Mr. Sandulachi raised approx 400,000 Euros from his bank account the next day, which he used for personal purposes.
The former Minister of Finance, Veaceslav Negruţa, who illegally authorized the transfer of 400,000 Euros from the state budget to the account of former deputy, Pantelei Sandulachi, in 2012, has already been sentenced to 3 years in prison with the suspension of the right to hold public office for 5 years, with conditional suspension of the execution of the prison sentence for a probationary period of 3 years.
So far, the amount of 399,000 euros has not been voluntarily restituted to the state budget by Pantelei Sandulachi.
24 August 2017
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