PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION DISCLOSES NAMES OF OFFICIALS TO BE INQUIRED WITHIN CHISINAU AIRPORT CONCESSION CASE

The parliamentary commission on investigating the legality of privatizing state property in the period of former governments’ rule disclosed the names of officials, against which the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) may start investigations on the case of Chisinau airport concession.

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Alexander Slusari published on his Facebook page a passage from the commission’s conclusion, which will be presented at the Parliament plenary sitting, as well as to investigation agencies.

According to the document, the PGO may check the activity of the following officials:
Valeriu Lazar, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy, who signed protocols of sittings of the commission on approving the concession of Chisinau International Airport assets and the conditions of the very concession.

Tudor Copaci, Chairman of the contest commission on selecting concessionaire, Deputy Minister of Economy, who signed protocols of sitting and approved the feasibility study.

Angela Susanu, member of the contest commission, Deputy Director of the Public Property Agency (PPA), member of the Commission for concession monitoring. She also was the one who signed the concession agreement with the Avia Invest.

Members of the contest commission on selecting concessionaire, who were present at sittings and were signing protocols.

Maria Sendila, secretary of the contest commission on selecting concessionaire, deputy head of the Public Property Agency (PPA) department for state property administration, as well as secretary of the committee for concession monitoring, who was present at sittings and signed the protocol.

Iurie Leanca, Acting Prime Minister, who signed the Government decree 321 dated May 30, 2013 on approving the concession of the Chisinau International Airport assets and the conditions of its concession, as well as the decree 715 dated September 12, 2013, for approving the report on results of the closed contest on selecting concessionaire.

As Infotag has already reported, on Monday the ACUM bloc MP, Chairman of the Commission Igor Munteanu told to journalists that it is about the abuse of power, the falsifying of documents, the embezzlement of public funds.

The commission also recommended to responsible institutions to adopt measures in order that the agreement on airport concession not to be registered on other company. The Chisinau airport was given into concession on August 7, 2013 to the company Avia Invest SRL, which officially was registered several days before that. During the following three years, the company has three times changed its owners. As a result, the majority shareholder became the offshore company from Cyprus “Komaksavia Airport Invest Ltd”, which is holding 95% of Avia Invest shares. According to the agreement, the Chisinau airport was given into concession for a period of 49 years with deductions worth 1% from revenues and with investments of 244.2 million euros. The bank guarantee was issued by the Unibank – one of three banks, involved in the stealing of the billion of dollars from the banking system.

In 2015, the Service for Preventing and Combating Money Laundering of the National Anti-Corruption Center (NACC) has called into question the lawfulness of Avia Invest actions, concluding that financial means were taken from the money from problematic banks, managed by Ilan Shor. Back then, a criminal case was started, but over 4 years the investigation has not progressed.