Romanian prosecutors have dismantled a criminal network that helped Russians, Ukrainians, and Moldovans obtain Romanian ID cards with the help of state employees. The group secured ID cards for seven thousand foreigners over the last two years, according to investigators.
The perpetrators would establish fictitious residences in Romania with the help of employees from the Population Registry in Botoșani. Now, the latter are facing charges of bribery, forgery of documents, and computer fraud.
“The false data relates to the individual’s residence, which is fictitious because the beneficiary never lived at that address, as well as other personal identification attributes such as name, surname, date of birth, and place of birth, all for the purpose of obtaining an identity document that proves the person’s identity, Romanian citizenship, and, where applicable, residence in Romania,” according to a press release from the General Prosecutors’ Office.
More precisely, the beneficiaries obtained ID cards based on certificates attesting to Romanian citizenship, which had been previously falsified, “with residence set at properties belonging to Romanian citizens who were not the rightful owners of the spaces and even without their consent, by forging accommodation declarations and, implicitly, without their presence before the Population Registry official.”
On Tuesday, July 1, 206 searches were carried out at public institutions and private residences as part of the case. They took place at the Săveni City Hall in Botoșani County and at the local Population Registry Service, as well as at the homes of several individuals.
One of those who fraudulently received a Romanian ID card in Săveni is Stanislav Carpiuc, a 26-year-old man who was arrested in connection with three arson attacks at the house and car of British prime minister Keir Starmer. He is the second suspect accused in this case, after a Ukrainian national.
(Photo source: Vlad Ispas | Dreamstime.com)
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