The trial of two former executives who headed Air Moldova (MLD, Chisinau International) before its controversial privatisation in 2018 will begin in two weeks, the culmination of a case in which they have been charged with abuse of office, the newspaper Ziarul de Gardă and local news agencies reported on May 29.
Citing information emanating from the country’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the reports said that prosecutors had completed their investigation of Iulian Scorpan, a former general manager, and Victor Sula, a deputy director, and had referred the case to the courts. The pair have been charged with exceeding the duties of their office under Article 328 paragraph 1 of Moldova’s Criminal Code, and the first hearing has been scheduled for June 12.
The airline itself referred to the case last month, blaming its now-dire financial situation in part on mismanagement that occurred before its privatisation.
Prosecutors initiated their investigation in March 2021 on the basis of a complaint, with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office summarising that “the subject of the investigation covers illegal actions expressed by manifestly exceeding the limits of the duties of service granted by law, by individuals at the state enterprise Air Moldova.”
It added that the two directors “in the period 2018-2019, at the conclusion of wet-lease contract no. 0285 of 17.05.2018, caused damage in particularly large proportions” to Moldova’s Public Property Agency in the amount of MDL36,690,567 lei (USD2.06 million) as well as MDL83,340,455 (USD4.67 million) worth of damage to Air Moldova.
As ch-aviation reported at the time, Air Moldova concluded a wet-lease contract that month with Romania’s Just Us Air (Bucharest Baneasa), which began to operate its single A319-100 on behalf of the Moldovan carrier.
The defendants have not admitted their guilt, the office explained, and so the criminal case was sent to the Buiucani District Court in Chisinau for examination.
If found guilty, the accused could be fined from MDL23,500 to MDL57,500 (USD1,318-3,225) or be imprisoned for up to three years and face a ban on holding positions of authority for up to five years. Property and assets in Moldova and abroad belonging to the defendants worth over MDL12 million (USD673,000) has been seized.
The two are also on trial for abuse of power in a separate case that has been before a court in the Moldovan capital since December 2021.
