Reports
PASSENGER CARRIERS ACCUSE CHISINAU MUNICIPALITY OF PROTECTING CORRUPTION IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM
Chisinau. Five Chisinau passenger transport companies consider that the Chisinau public motor transport, which functioning is coordinated by the chief municipal public motor transport and roads department, is corrupted. It was created by the previous administrations and is successfully managed by the incumbent leadership of the Chisinau municipality.
Representative of the Taxi Service Plus company Oleg Alexa said at a News conference in Infotag on Tuesday that illegal schemes bring illegal profits of millions of euros a year to the administration of the Chisinau municipality and to its transport department.
”The main element of this financial pyramid are “routes”, for which considerable sums (3-8 thousand euros) are charged from each driver. The route distribution system is created in such way that they have become the constant source of illegal profits for Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca and his subordinates”, Alexa considers.
He said that in the chase for money the municipality administration and the transport department invented another mechanism for gaining new profits from transport companies and drivers – to organize contests on the re-distribution of routes, change of their administrations and appointment of convenient people, who will not refuse to pay illegal tributes to municipal officials.
”On March 27 the municipality announced a contest on the right of granting routes, which contest had to take place on May 12. Though the initiators of this process or the re-sale of routes were sure in its positive effect, on the day of the contest the law and order authorities instituted two criminal suits against the Commission members on the accusation of passive corruption. The documents, submitted for the contest were checked by the law and order authorities and the transport companies, which demonstrated the most economic results for the last years were recognized as the winners, but the municipality leadership began applying pressure to them”, Alexa remarked.
In his opinion, Dorin Chirtoaca exceeded his powers and on May 27 he issued an order, which cancelled the results of the contest and established that the previous companies will fulfill their obligations until a new contest is announced. As a result the companies, which refused to give bribes, were left without routes.
”However, the simple calculation shows that the profits from the passenger motor transport constitute about 500 million lei, but if you check the accounting reports of the functioning companies, the official incomes will not exceed 60 million lei. It is clear that the municipality protects the shadow economy in the system”, Alexa remarked.
He also remarked that these five companies suffer losses, which they will demand to be set off from the municipal budget and by Dorin Chirtoaca personally.
