​SPECIAL COMMISSION PROVES 13 BILLION LEI WITHDRAWAL FROM MOLDOVAN BANKS TO OFFSHORE – IGOR DODON

The special ad-hoc parliamentary committee on investigating situation in the financial and foreign exchange market proved the withdrawal of 13 billion lei from Banca de Economii (BEM, Moldova’s savings bank), Banca Sociala and Unibank and transferring of this money to offshore zones in November 2014, stated Moldovan Socialists Party Chairman Igor Dodon after the Monday’s commission meeting.

According to him, money were converted in foreign exchange and transferred to foreign accounts.

“In the second half of November, a meeting was held by the Financial Stability Council, headed by the then premier Iurie Leanca. He addressed to the government with a secret request to the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), for allocation of 10 billion lei to the above mentioned banks with 0.1% interest rate under the state guarantee. The NBM agrees and starts crediting BEM, Banca Sociala and Unibank. Thus, the country’s authorities intended to cover the artificially created financial hole”, said Dodon.

According to him, the above mentioned banks have also earned more than 500 million lei from speculations on the foreign exchange market in January 2015.

“Without the LDPM and DP consent, such transactions would be impossible. It seemed that they were preparing for defeat in parliamentary elections intended to take our citizens’ money with them. Nobody has ever so insolently stolen in Moldova. Let the guilty know that such crimes against the people have no expiry date and they will for sure be brought before the law”, said the Socialists leader.

Minister of Finance Anatol Arapu said to journalists after the commission meeting that the NBM was acting according to the law and no deviations were identified.

“We proposed our vision of the situation, as well as the information on consequences for economy on the foreign exchange market situation. The adopted measures are already bringing results and we hope for further improvement of the situation”, said he.

On his turn, the commission Chairman Marcel Raducan of the DP said that the commission is close to completion of work.

“We got answers to all its questions. On Wednesday another meeting will take place, after which we will start preparing the report. It is not excluded that we will hear some other information if necessary. We are planning to start the development of the report until March 20. However, it is yet difficult to say when it will be presented into the Parliament”, said the deputy.

He also found it difficult to answer whether the Parliament meeting will be open or not.

“The commission meetings were conducted in a closed regime, as we were studying secret documents. All the MPs are signing in the special register on keeping the state secret”, said Raducan.

He refrained from commenting Igor Dodon’s statements, saying that Dodon represents the opposition, while the opposition regards criticizing of authorities as its supreme duty.