Millions worth of prosecutors from Moldova; The top of those with fat incomes from… donations // DOC
Millions worth of prosecutors from Moldova; The top of those with fat incomes from… donations // DOC
Donations are becoming an increasingly important factor in “rounding out” prosecutors’ income. The conclusion was made following a study carried out by Transparency Moldova, which reveals that, although revenues from donations offered to prosecutors have a modest weight in the total declared revenues, their value is quite large and still growing. The experts who developed the report to control more rigorously the financial capabilities of the donors.
The report shows that the value of donations declared by prosecutors was 7 million lei in 2018; 8.6 million lei in 2019 and almost 10 million in 2020, he writes Anticorruptie.md. And the average number of donations per prosecutor increased, from 1.4 donations in 2018 to 1.7 in 2020. Among the beneficiaries of the most donations in 2018 were Statnîi Roman (9 donations), Cebotari Serghei (4); in 2019: Statnîi Roman (9), Burlacu Aliona (5), Bivol Octavia, Furtuna Victoria, Rapeşco Ivan (4 each); in 2020: Bivol Octavian, Furtuna Victoria (6 each), Cojocaru Vladislav (5), Burlacovschi Sergiu, Burlacu Aliona, Cebotari Serghei, Fistic Eduard, Sîli Radu, Burlacu Ivan (4 each).
Regarding this class of value of donations, the top looked different, although many of the cited accusers are also in this level.
In first place, with a difference of more than one million more than the second place, is Constantin Popescu, who has been working as a prosecutor in the Chisinau Municipal Prosecutor’s Office since 2018. Between 2018 and 2020, he obtained over 2 million from donations of lei, of which approx. 1 million 230 thousand – in 2020.
The accuser came to the attention of the public after he declared earnings from a 17,000-euro scam, but also a generous donation from his mother, of 44,500 euros. Popescu explained to anticorruptie.md that his mother sold a property and gave him the money. Our sources have confirmed that the prosecutor comes from a wealthy family that allows him to be lavished with gifts. Thanks to the support from relatives, especially parents, in 2020 the lawyer increased his income, compared to his salary, by approximately 5 times. The prosecutor has two cars – Toyota Auris 2014, worth 100,000 lei and a Mercedes Benz from 2013.
Popescu is also known for the fact that he was part of the team of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova in mini-football, which won last year, in Galaţi, the “Judges’ Cup”, the XXII edition, organized by the Sports Association of Prosecutors from Romania, notes. Anticorruptie.md.
In second place in the list of prosecutors with generous asset donations is the anti-corruption prosecutor, Victoria Furtună, which, in 2020, received monetary gifts of over 610 thousand lei. The prosecutor entered the mouth of the media after declaring that she purchased a Mercedes E 250 CDI car for only 10,000 lei. Previously, ANI reported itself to a news story of the Anticoruptie.md portal about Victoriei Furtună’s car, but integrity inspectors did not find any deviations, stating that the amount of 10,000 lei is included in the car’s sale-purchase contract, and the accuser stated that she bought it practically broken.
It seems that, in 2021, Victoria Furtună escaped from the car with trouble. In the declaration of wealth for the year 2021, the attorney passed a sale-purchase contract of a Mercedes E 250 CDI car, for 290000.00 MDL. Accordingly, we observe a colossal difference compared to the price indicated at the time of purchase. However, the Storm did not remain without “four wheels”. Also in 2021, he bought a brand new Skoda Superb car on lease for 19,980 euros, but he also entered the market price of it in the asset declaration – 43,700 euros. The prosecutor managed to get a very good price, and this because the cost of such a car starts from 33 thousand euros.
Victoria Furtună started her career as a prosecutor in 2008, within the Prosecutor’s Office of the Botanica sector, Chisinau municipality. On July 18, 2016, she was appointed as a prosecutor in the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office. Furtună orchestrated the case in which the former Minister of Transport, Iurie Chirinciuc, was sentenced to prison with a suspended sentence for influence peddling and abuse of office, but also that of “paid parking”, in which the former mayor of the capital Dorin Chirtoacă . he was accused of acts of corruption.
In the ranking of the accusers with the most donations, we find, in third place, prosecutor Mariana Cazacu, who in November 2020 was transferred from the position of prosecutor in the Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases to the position of prosecutor in the Chisinau City Prosecutor’s Office. Mariana Cazacu was elected in 2020 with donations of over 476 thousand lei, an amount that is twice as much compared to the annual salary he receives from the prosecutor’s office.
In 2021, the prosecutor’s office declared an income obtained at the basic workplace of 227,523 lei.
He kept the Lexus CT 200H model car, bought for 218,000 lei in 2019, but also the KIA Sportage model, worth 18,700 Euros, for which there is a transferable ownership and use contract from 2020.
Transparency Moldova experts declare that as a rule, donors of goods and money are parents, less often – other close, trusted persons or friends and recommend to check the capacity of people who make donations, make transfers and grant substantial loans of to provide such means.
See the report here: