Moldovan National Anticorruption Centre, Justice Ministry publish Chisinau International Airport concession reports

Chisinau, 25 August /MOLDPRES/ - The reports on the Chisinau International Airport’s concession of the National Anticorruption Centre’s (CNA) and the Justice Ministry  were placed on the official website of the government. CNA recommends initiation of the procedure of cancellation of the concession contract, on the grounds that, in 2013 - 2015, the investing company did not make their own investments in the airport’s development.

CNA states that the concession process was not transparent and the government decision on giving it in concession was made without the approval "of more stakeholder organisations, such as the Transport and Road Infrastructure Ministry, Interior Ministry, Intelligence and Security Service". The revisions carried out by the Ministry of Finance found that investing firms did not make their own investments in the airport’s development, but used the money resulted from the activity of the airport services, the CNA report says.

According to the report, the Avia Invest Company made donations amounting to 9.3 million dollars to the Milsami Football Club.

The Justice Ministry said that a possible solution "would be initiating the procedure for renegotiating and amending the concession agreement." A possible decision would be taken at "a more advanced stage of analysis", considering that CNA "only initiated and is conducting the criminal investigation on the concession of the airport", the report by the Finance Ministry says.

The ministry recommends setting up a commission for monitoring the carrying out of the provisions of the contract on concession. The procedure due to be observed in these cases is the amicable settlement of the litigation. The Justice Ministry also suggests that the government assesses the risks of an eventual litigation in international arbitration court, which might be initiated by the Avia Invest associates.   

The government set up a working group, which during four weeks is to assess the legal premises, stages of implementation and consequences of the cancellation of the agreement on concession of the Chisinau International Airport. More entities set forth their opinions on the topic, among which the commission for monitoring the implementation of the contract on concession, a working group created by the former prime minister Gaburici, Justice Ministry, as well as another joint working group, set up under an instruction by Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet. “All these conclusions will be put together and the decisions will be taken in the interests of Moldova,” Strelet said today.

At a news briefing on 24 August, representatives of the Avia Invest company said they were observing the commitments and obligations taken when signing the contract on concession.  

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)