The Criminal Assets Recovery Agency (CARA) of the NAC has seized assets worth 2 191 202 lei in criminal cases concerning illegal actions of several persons from the administration of the St Lazar Cemetery in Chisinau. The premises, residential and non-residential buildings, means of transport, as well as a building land have been seized. Also, over a half a million lei, out of the total sequester, constituted cash money.

We remind, that on September 1, the National Anticorruption Center announced the detention of six persons from the administration of the St. Lazar Cemetery in Chisinau, investigated for 142 charges, initiated for active and passive corruption, influence peddling, and fraud. They were suspected of claiming illegal money from the relatives of the deceased, who had to receive burial ground at the cemetery.

According to the investigation, the members of the group charged, besides the state fee for a burial ground (1051 lei), some additional payments that reached up to 5000 or 7000 lei. Also, those people who wanted to reserve a place at the cemetery for family or relatives, as well, had to pay double in comparison with the state fee of 4612 lei.

In September, the NAC officers carried out searches at 22 addresses – at the headquarters of the St Lazar cemetery administration, at homes and offices of the suspects – and identified evidence relevant to the case, including amounts of money, in different currencies (about 700 000 lei).

Following investigations, the list of suspected and accused was completed with other participants, thus, currently 7 persons have the status of the accused and 25 of suspected. The investigators are at the stage of ending the criminal investigations, as by the end of the year to offer the prosecutors to transmit the cases to the court.

We precise that, every person is presumed to be innocent until the final and irrevocable decision of the court is pronounced.

The Anticorruption Prosecution Office is carrying out the criminal investigation.