All employees of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime within the National Investigation Inspectorate (INI) have reportedly submitted resignation requests from the police, according to Deschide.md. They took this step as a protest against what they describe as abusive actions by the National Anticorruption Center (CNA), accusing its officers of unlawfully detaining several INI staff without sufficient evidence.
The cited source claims that authorities based the detention of the INI employees in the $400,000 bribery case solely on statements made by an individual who is himself under investigation in an international criminal case.
Diana Fetco, head of the Communication and Protocol Service of the General Police Inspectorate of Moldova (IGP), neither confirmed nor denied the information.
“I neither confirm nor deny. I can only say that the leadership of the National Police will defend its employees and is working to strengthen its team,” Fetco stated for deschise.md
Realitatea.md also requested information about this case from Diana Fetco, but we had not received a response by the time this article was published. Realitatea’s journalists also requested a response from the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova (MAI) regarding calls to suspend General Arcadie Catlabuga.
The MAI confirmed that dissatisfaction exists among the INI employees following reports about the collective resignation requests. Catalin Goria, head of the ministry’s Communication Directorate, stated that authorities are treating the situation seriously.
“We treat with utmost responsibility any situation involving MAI structures. Our priority remains ensuring continuity of activity and protecting institutional stability. There is a form of dissatisfaction among the INI employees that must be addressed seriously and with respect for those working in the system. Respect for truth, institutions, and the people who serve in these structures is essential,” Goria said.
Authorities recently released two police officers who had been detained in the $400,000 bribery case after additional hearings and investigative actions. Four individuals remain in CNA custody: one prosecutor, two police officers, and another suspect detained on March 29, for whom the court has already issued a 30-day arrest warrant.
On March 31, the National Anticorruption Center and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office carried out nine additional searches within the same case, linking it to two other criminal investigations.