Speaking to journalists, Viorel Cernăuțeanu explained the prevalence of corruption and bribery among officers under his command not only by the “human factor,” but also by family circumstances — namely, the birth of children and the need to rent housing.
Corruption Explained by Family Expenses
Commenting on statistics from anti-corruption bodies, the head of the General Police Inspectorate of Moldova, Cernăuțeanu, said that although, according to his data, the overall level of corruption is showing a downward trend, individual cases of bribery are linked to a sharp change in the financial burden on police officers.
According to him, young employees who earn 8,000–9,000 lei at the start of their careers are initially full of “enthusiasm.” But once they get married, rent housing, and have children, that enthusiasm, in the general’s view, disappears.
“If a police officer’s child gets sick? When effective treatment for a child costs 3,000–4,000 lei, and you do not have that money, all of us who have children know that there is no way out. So the employee resorts to actions that are not entirely lawful,” Cernăuțeanu, head of the General Police Inspectorate of Moldova, said in explaining bribery among his subordinates.
Questions After the House Scandal
This controversial statement by the police chief came after an earlier scandal connected to his own large house. Information had previously appeared in Telegram channels about a luxurious mansion in Colonița, a suburb of Chișinău, where, according to deputy Costiuc, Viorel Cernăuțeanu lives.
The value of the residential property was estimated by the opposition politician at around 1.5 million euros.
That information raised questions about the general’s sources of income. But Moldova’s National Integrity Authority found no grounds for a full investigation into how the luxury mansion had been purchased.
At the same time, according to representatives of opposition political parties, Cernăuțeanu receives a share of the revenue from towing cars to impound lots, allegedly taking 25% of the income of the specialized economic agent that charges for the service.
Earlier Remarks Also Drew Attention
Other statements by the police chief had also previously entered the public space. Commenting on the existence of businesses owned by high-ranking employees of the institution, Cernăuțeanu said he saw no problem if a police officer’s “wife or daughter” owned commercial enterprises or restaurants, pointing to the formal absence of any violation of the law.
Against that background, his statement that rank-and-file officers are forced to take bribes because of the cost of treating their children has raised questions among opponents of PAS about consistency in the fight against illicit enrichment and about how evenly the burden of social responsibility is distributed within the law enforcement system.
