Court upholds 10-year sentence for former BEM chief
The Centru Court of Appeal upheld the 10-year prison sentence for Viorel Bârca, the former interim president of "Banca de Economii" (BEM). The appeal court rejected both the prosecutors' appeal and the appeal filed by the defendant's lawyers against the sentence issued by the Chisinau Court in Buiucani in January 2024, deeming them both unfounded.
On July 8, 2026, Centru Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the first instance court, sentencing the former administrator of Banca de Economii to 10 years in prison, along with an obligation to pay the banking institution $100 million in damages.
The Central Court of Appeal’s decision is final and enforceable immediately upon its announcement, but it can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice within two months.
According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, this case involves the former interim president of SA "Banca de Economii," who served from July 2013 to September 2014. He is accused of embezzling foreign assets on a large scale, acting in the interest of an organized criminal group, which constitutes a violation of the Criminal Code.
The criminal case was separated from a larger investigation regarding the embezzlement of $100 million from BEM by a criminal group, which prosecutors allege included public figures, individuals in positions of public authority, and both individuals and legal entities.
State prosecutors allege that Viorel Bârca falsified seven SWIFT orders—documents used for international payments—contributing to the embezzlement of $100 million by the criminal group of which he was a member.
The case was submitted to the Chisinau Court, Buiucani seat, for examination on March 11, 2021, and the proceedings lasted approximately three years. The defendant did not admit to his guilt.
On January 29, 2024, the Chisinau Court in Buiucani, found the former interim president of BEM guilty of embezzling foreign assets on a significant scale for the benefit of an organized criminal group. The court imposed a 10-year prison sentence, to be served in a closed-type penitentiary, and prohibited him from holding positions in the financial and banking sectors for five years.
Additionally, the first-instance court admitted the civil action filed in the case and ordered the collection of $100 million in damages from the convicted individual for the benefit of SA "Banca de Economii," which is currently in liquidation. This amount will be converted into the national currency at the official exchange rate of the Moldovan leu at the time the sentence is executed.
The Chisinau Court also upheld the seizure of half of the convict's assets, valued at approximately four million lei, to ensure the recovery of damages. Furthermore, the court ordered the collection of legal expenses from the convict's account in the amount of 32,550 lei. The Central Court of Appeal upheld these provisions of the first-instance sentence.
