MoldATSA abuse of office case: Three managers detained for 72 hours
Three senior employees of the State Enterprise "Moldatsa" were detained for 72 hours. Their arrests followed 25 searches conducted on Thursday, July 23, by officers of the National Anticorruption Center (CNA) and anticorruption prosecutors.
The suspects are being investigated in a case of abuse of office and were placed in the CNA's isolation ward.
The searches took place at the homes and work offices of the persons concerned.
According to the CNA, the criminal case was initiated based on suspicions that, from 2024 to the present, the persons concerned have acted contrary to their work obligations, in personal interest and in the interest of third parties, admitting serious violations in the administration of the enterprise.
Investigators claim that their actions have caused particularly large damages.
According to the case materials, law enforcement officers identified alleged systemic violations in the administration of the enterprise's assets and human and financial resources.
These include failure to comply with public procurement procedures, the discretionary filling of vacant positions through competitions considered fictitious, the unjustified granting of awards and salary increases, the inappropriate accumulation of positions and the organization of unjustified training, which would have generated unjustified expenses from the company's budget.
We remind you that a recent assessment by the National Anticorruption Center uncovered serious irregularities at Moldatsa. It was found that dozens of individuals were hired without undergoing competitive selection or integrity checks, and some employees held up to three positions simultaneously.
Additionally, salary increases were granted at the discretion of those who approved them, without any established performance criteria.
The investigation also revealed problematic purchases and inflated expenses, including a training budget of nine million lei in just nine months.
In recent weeks, the company responsible for airspace security has been embroiled in a major scandal. The former director, Dumitru Vangheli, secured his position by providing false information on his CV.
The high salaries within the company have also been a topic of public discussion. For instance, Dumitru Vangheli, who has since been dismissed, earned nearly 110,000 lei per month. The former spokesperson for Moldatsa had a monthly salary of 120,000 lei. Notably, Anastasia Taburceanu, a cousin of President Maia Sandu, resigned and returned all the money she had received from this enterprise.
This scandal prompted several resignations. On June 29, Radu Marian, a deputy from the Action and Solidarity Party, announced his resignation as chairman of the parliamentary committee on economy, budget, and finance. Roman Cojuhari also announced his resignation as general director of the Public Property Agency that same evening, shortly after the Moldatsa scandal came to light.
Cojuhari took responsibility for the previous management's inadequate monitoring of Moldatsa's financial decisions.
