Minister of Agriculture Ludmila Catlabuga immediately dismissed Tatiana Nistorică, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, after she was arrested by Moldova’s National Anti-Corruption Center (NAC) on suspicion of accepting a bribe from a Ukrainian company.
On the previous day, the NAC launched a criminal investigation and detained Nistorică following searches conducted at her office and several other locations linked to her.
Investigators suspect that Nistorică lobbied on behalf of a Ukrainian company that supplied poultry feed to Moldova. Imports of the company’s products had previously been suspended due to serious regulatory violations. According to investigators, company representatives allegedly attempted to bypass the ban by bribing the senior ministry official, who agreed to the arrangement before being caught in the act.
A Ukrainian national was also detained in connection with the case.
Expressing surprise over the alleged misconduct of her subordinate, Minister Catlabuga issued a statement stressing that she has zero tolerance for corruption and abuse of office. She also pledged full cooperation with investigators and announced Nistorică’s immediate dismissal.
“I strongly condemn all forms of corruption and will under no circumstances tolerate abuse of office or favoritism. Today, the National Anti-Corruption Center and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office carried out procedural actions involving a state secretary of the ministry. I will immediately initiate the dismissal procedure for the official who is the subject of this investigation,” Catlabuga said.
Notably, Nistorică’s arrest took place on her birthday.
She had served as State Secretary for only about five months, having been appointed in February 2026. Her responsibilities included livestock production, animal health and welfare, and food safety.
According to Ziarul de Gardă, Nistorică’s 2025 asset declaration listed approximately 335,000 lei in salary income, 49,000 lei in pension payments, and €17,280 earned from consulting services.
