Police officer sacked for 'turning blind eye’ to criminal husband
A box of cash seized from the home of Ioan Gherghel in Maryland. In total £11,385 was seized from this address. - Credit: MPS
A police officer has been sacked for "turning a blind eye” to signs that her husband was responsible for the theft of stacks of cash from a criminal gang, Scotland Yard said.
Pc Inga Gherghel was dismissed by the Met Police without notice after a misconduct hearing concluded yesterday (June 30), finding gross misconduct proven.
He was one of six people – including former Met Police officer Kashif Mahmood – who were part of an organised crime group which intercepted rival drug gang couriers to seize at least £850,000.
Mahmood was based at Central East borough command unit (BCU), which covers Hackney and Tower Hamlets.
The misconduct panel, led by an independent legally qualified chair, heard evidence relating to the arrest of Pc Gherghel’s husband on April 28, 2020.
A search of the couple’s home found an MPS MetVest – force-issued body armour – inside a cupboard, but it had not been issued to Pc Gherghel.
A shoebox containing more than £10,000 in cash was also discovered in a bedroom wardrobe.
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The hearing found that Pc Gherghel was aware of these items and “wilfully failed to inquire further into the origin or purpose of the items and as to what either might be doing in her flat”, the Met said.
Commander Marcus Barnett, in charge of policing at the Central East BCU, said: “It is the duty of any police officer to report criminality to police and Pc Gherghel turned a blind eye to the actions of her husband.
“As the investigation shows, we are determined to root out officers in the Met who do not demonstrate the right qualities and we will prosecute and dismiss them from our force.”
Pc Gherghel will now be added to the barred list held by the College of Policing, a professional body for the police in England and Wales.
There is no suggestion Pc Gherghel committed any crimes.
