CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st December, 2020) Moldova's former ambassador to Russia, Andrei Negutsa, has been placed under house arrest for 30 days as investigators probe smuggling charges, Emil Gaitur, spokesman for Moldova's prosecutor general's office, told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Prosecutors from Moldova's specialized office for combating organized crime filed charges against Negutsa and asked for the former ambassador to be placed under house arrest earlier in the day.
"The request of the prosecutors was partially fulfilled, as the court has decided to hold the accused under house arrest for 30 days," Gaitur said.
The spokesman said that prosecutors will continue their investigations. If convicted, Negutsa faces between three to 10 years imprisonment, although the diplomat has denied the charges.
Negutsa was recalled from Moscow earlier in December after the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that operatives had foiled an attempt to smuggle anabolic steroids out of the country in a vehicle bearing license plates of the Moldovan Embassy in Russia.
