AUTHORITIES KNOWINGLY BRAKING INVESTIGATION OF BANK FRAUD - INDEPENDENT EXPERTS

Head of the presidential Commission for public control Tudor Ghelici said at the Monday's press conference that Moldovan authorities are deliberately protracting the investigation of the THEFT of a billion of dollars from Moldovan banks.

Among other conclusions, made by the Commission experts, he pointed at slow work of investigators who are concealing evidences on the resonant financial embezzlement.

"What is happening concerning the Government may be definitely called a sabotage of objective and unbiased investigation. The authorities are deliberately hiding the information on this case, covering up the names of persons and companies that were involved in the criminal scheme on withdrawing money from banks", the activist said, stressing that only the change of power may disclose the mystery and the motives of the theft of the century.

Ghelici cited the translation of the document - report of IMF expert mission, headed by Harry Parker, which studied in late 2013 the situation in the Banca de Economii (BEM, Moldova's savings bank).

"They were preparing the report for their leadership, but directed it to Moldovan authorities classified as secret. The document enlists people, responsible for the situation in the bank and who knew about the catastrophic state of things in it. Among these there were: the then National Bank of Moldova President Dorin Dragutanu, NBM Deputy President Emma Tabirta, the then Minister of Finance Veaceslav Negruta, head of the Public Property Agency Tudor Copaci, BEM Board Chairwoman Cristina Burlacu and BEM Administrator Victor Bodiu. Foreign experts prevented the Government about the upcoming serious problems, but no reaction followed", Ghelici said.

In his opinion, all the governments Moldova has had since the end of 2014 are criminal and should bear responsibility for their action or inaction.

"The commission got one more secret document, dated December 2014. It was submitted by employees of responsible agency to Cristina Burlacu and contains the list of companies and hundreds of millions of lei that went in offshore. Nothing has been done. As of today, only Tabirta was punished out of the entire group of officials - she was dismissed from function", Ghelici said.

According to him, everything that was stolen by swindlers, who got in power in Moldova and the politicians who protect them, should be returned by ordinary citizens now.

"We are forced to repay to the Government around 52 billion lei. The conclusion is that many people from the ruling elites of the country knew about this fraud, but most of them were passively watching, which means they were partners in this", Ghelici said.

Presidential commission economist Mihail Poisic shortly outlined the scheme of stealing the notorious billion.

"There are attempts to shift the attention in the fraud on businessmen Veaceslav Platon, Ilan Shor and former premier Vlad Filat. This is far from real situation. A group of moneymakers was working here, which concertedly over a short period of time thrown funds to Banca Sociala via six banks in late November 2014. This is about 17.8 billion lei, which were transferred from Moldova Agroindbank, Victoriabank, Moldindconbank, Banca Sociala, Banca de Economii and Unibank. Then the Iurie Leanca Government followed the adoption of the decree on providing to three banks of state guarantees worth over 9 billion lei for their liquidity. Then, the Chiril Gaburici Government issued an equivalent resolution on a sum of 4.5 billion lei. Later, the money injected in Banca Sociala was consequently distributed in the form of credits to 5 companies and taken away to offshore accounts", he said, explaining that Dragutanu and Tabirta were personally monitoring the procedure of money transferring.

"13.3 billion lei were withdrawn. The rest of funds went to covering some liabilities inside the Republic of Moldova", Postica said, confirming his colleague's conclusion that the very decisions of Leanca and Gaburici Governments and the then NBM leadership are criminal.