National Bank of Moldova's ex-governor arrested, placed in custody for half month

Chisinau, 04 March /MOLDPRES/ – The former governor of the National Bank of Moldova (BNM), Leonid Talmaci, was detained by anticorruption prosecutors and placed under house arrest for 15 days, according to the decision from 03 March of the Buiucani district court. Talmaci is accused of belonging to an organized criminal group, specializing in scams in large proportions, causing property damage by fraud or breach of trust and abuse of office.

According to the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office’s information, it is a criminal group that had caused damage of over 15 million lei to the National Bureau of Insuring of Auto vehicles. The money would have been distracted from the National Bureau of Insuring of Auto vehicles’ accounts in Moldova Agroindbank and Moldindconbank.

Talmaci is accused of crimes, "which can be punished by imprisonment of up to 15 years", says the arrest warrant issued by Buiucani district court. "He is accused of that in the prosecution established that a group of people" who "were organized to commit one or more offences (criminal organization), pursuing a common goal of illegal obtaining in especially large amount of goods of the Public Association "National Bureau of Insuring of Auto vehicles", reads the document.

The representatives of the presidency are puzzled by retaining of BNM’s former governor, Leonid Talmaci and express their hope that behind this detain would stand a mistake. "We are very concerned about this arrest. The personality of Mr. Leonid Talmaci is important for Moldova, highly appreciated inside and out, the person behind the formation of the banking system," writes spokesman of Presidency, Ion Ceban, on a social network site.

"Since yesterday (Talmaci) is also the member of the Economic Council under the President. We have already documented ourselves. We hope this is an error and in the nearest future the situation will clarify," Ceban adds.

Talmaci held the position of BNM governor in 1999 – 2009. Talmaci was proposed as candidate for presidency of Moldova during the political crisis in Chisinau on behalf of the Communist Party in 2012. From 2013 till 2015, he was the chairman of the Association of Banks of Moldova. On 20 January 2015 Talmaci was appointed as Chairman of the Management Board of Moldindconbank. He was appointed an administrator by the central bank, after placing special supervision of BNM to Moldindconbank.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor L. Alcaza)