An administrator of commercial companies has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for abuse of office and embezzlement after defrauding dozens of investors in real estate projects in Chisinau. The verdict was issued on May 4 by the Chisinau Court.
According to evidence presented by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Moldova and the National Anti-Corruption Center, the defendant attracted funds from investors between 2012 and 2016 for the construction of residential buildings. He signed dozens of investment contracts, including for unauthorized floors, carried out illegal construction works, and changed the designated use of certain spaces in violation of approved documentation. The total amount collected from individuals and legal entities exceeded 11.6 million lei.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court banned the convicted individual from managing commercial or non-governmental organizations for five years.
The other two defendants avoided prison sentences. The court released one due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, while it exempted the third from criminal liability after determining that he had committed the acts while not criminally responsible. Authorities will place him in a psychiatric institution.
The court also upheld the victims’ civil claims, ordering compensation of more than 23,000 euros for four injured parties, as well as 12,000 euros in material damages and 50,000 lei in moral damages for another victim.
The sentence can be appealed at the Chisinau Court of Appeal within 15 days.