Met Police
(Picture: Met Police)A Met Police officer has been sacked without notice after an investigation found that she “turned a blind eye” to her husband’s large amounts of stolen cash stashed in a shoebox.
Police searched the home of constable Inga Gherghel and found a police force body armour vest, that hadn’t been issued to her, and a shoebox with more than £10,000 in cash inside a bedroom wardrobe.
Her husband Ioan Gherghel was responsible for the theft of large amounts of cash from members of an organised criminal network, the Met said.
A panel, led by an independent legally qualified chair, concluded on Thursday that Gherghel willfully failed to enquire further into what the police vest and cash were doing in her flat.
They found there was gross misconduct in the case of Gherghel. She was dismissed without notice after an investigation by the Met’s Anti-Corruption Command.
Gherghel’s husband was jailed for six years after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to acquire criminal property.
Six people, including a former Met Police officer, were sentenced in May last year after admitting a range of offences following the wider investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards’ Anti-Corruption Command.
Commander Marcus Barnett, in charge of policing at the Central East Command Unit, 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.
“This was exacerbated by the fact a MetVest was found at her home that had not been issued to her.
"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."
Gherghel will be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing.
Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the IOPC or HMIC.
