EDUCATION MINISTRY OFFICIAL AND SEVEN ACCOMPLICES DETAINED ON SUSPICION OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES

The employee of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research and his seven accomplices were detained and interrogated by National Anti-Corruption Center (NACC) operative workers on suspicion of organizing a scheme on money extortion. After interrogation, four people were put into pretrial prison.

According to the NACC, employees of the Ministry of Justice also were involved in criminal actions. Malefactors were demanding money from applicants, who were authenticating diplomas of education in Moldova and translating these into languages of countries they were employed in. Tariffs were different. For example, for acceleration of the procedure of issuing education diploma (which according to the law may take up to 30 days), suspects demanded 50 euros. If the applicant agreed to the entire procedure of “accompaniment”: from translation into the language of the country of stay, issuing of the variant of document in digital version, servicing out of turn, speed of registration, the cost may have reached up to 1.5 thousand euros.

The NACC received several complaints from citizens, who became victims of malefactors. Officers conducted searches in notary offices, in translation bureaus, in cabinets and houses of officials of both state agencies.

In case they are declared guilty of extorting money for providing services, the suspects risk getting up to 10 years.