Nine civil servants from the Departments of municipal education in all sectors of the capital and seven representatives of economic units were detained Thursday, November 24, in tender rigging case related to providing food to schools and kindergartens in Chisinau. In all, 23 people will be questioned. Anti-corruption prosecutors and officers presented recordings showing that some of the food products were perished.

UPDATE Other 2 officials were detained by anti-corruption officers and prosecutors in tender rigging case in the educational system in Chisinau. It's about the head and deputy head of the Department of Education, Youth and Sports  of Riscani sector.

“Criminal prosecution pertaining to  rigged tenders was ordered in early March, 2016. During the investigation, there were  initiated  other over 30 criminal cases based on various components of the offense, such as abuse of power, nepotism, passive  and active bribery - when  managers of companies  sent money to  civil servants involved in tenders’ organization, aimed at purchasing food products and they did not fulfill their professional duties properly. (...)We resorted to interceptions and undercover investigators", said the head of the Anticorruption Prosecution Viorel Morari.

Bogdan Zumbreanu said that 46 searches were conducted on Thursday, November 24. "In one of these searches, someone tried to destroy certain documents which were to be raised, but failed doing it. This case covers all districts in Chisinau city - Centru, Ciocana, Riscani and Botanica. In all,  23 suspects will be questioned  on this case.  People who have been subjected to searches are managers of enterprises who supplied food products under the contract of the General Department of Education, Youth and Sports. They are suspected of favoring some economic units participating in tenders", said Bogdan Zumbreanu, head of the National Anticorruption Center's General Prosecution Division.

Bogdan Zumbreanu explained that tenders were rigged by arranging  competition conditions for an economic agent, the participation of different companies that were actually managed by the same person, or providing information against payment about other offers presented. Bribe amounted up to 10,000 lei. "A representative interested in gaining the tender ensures the participation in the tender of other affiliated economic units. One of the economic units presents the lowest price that is supposed to be the winner, sometimes unprofitable one, realizing that a lower price will not be proposed by other participant. Subsequently, the trader who was affiliated to the interested person did not have a certificate or others,  was disqualified and the tender was gained by one of the affiliated and  interested economic unit. Everything was done with the consent of civil servants from municipal departments", said  Viorel Morari.

Representatives of National Anticorruption Center and of the Anticorruption Prosecution provided recordings and interceptions showing that schools and kindergartens were supplied with perished food.