Searches were carried out in offices of state institutions and private homes as part of an investigation aimed at cracking down on a network of forged documents, Euractiv reported.
The network issued fake Romanian identity documents to people born in Moldova, Ukraine and Russia. The High Court’s Prosecutor’s Office and officers of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police reportedly executed 90 search warrants on Wednesday.
The cases involved public officials in Botoșani County, northern Romania. The investigation also covers offences such as bribery, abuse of influence, buying influence, falsification of official documents, use of forgeries and falsification of private documents.
The network allegedly operated through employees of two population registry offices and two town halls. They issued Romanian identity documents containing false information, including fictitious addresses, to people born in Moldova, Ukraine and Russia.
The documents allowed beneficiaries to obtain papers proving Romanian citizenship, identity and residence. In many cases, they were registered for property belonging to deceased Romanian citizens whose estates had not been regularised or citizens who could not give consent due to absence or incapacity.
False applications for settlement were made without the knowledge of the owners, often using forged signatures or forged certificates from City Hall officials falsely certifying ownership. For example, one village in Botoșani County registered residents of about 10,000 people from Ukraine, Moldova and Russia. Most of them obtained addresses without consent, often on the basis of forged documents or signatures.
The cost of obtaining a Romanian ID via the network reportedly ranges from 350 to 400 euros.
