Moldovan committee on monitoring cases of increased social interest holds first meeting

Chisinau, 1 April /MOLDPRES/ - The bank fraud was the topic of discussion at the first meeting of the permanent committee on monitoring cases of increased social interest, set up under an instruction by Prime Minister Pavel Filip, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.  

At a news briefing, the prime minister noted that the participants in the meeting had identified three priority directions of work on this case: investigating the theft from the banking system with establishing the guilty persons, recovery of the assets, as well as financial means and removing vulnerabilities from the financial and banking system.  

Pavel Filip informed that 520 million lei had been returned so far. On the other hand, the Kroll Company’s report is to propose a strategy of recovering other assets. As for the third direction, a number of laws are to be amended, aimed at strengthening the National Bank (BNM), so that the latter’s functionality and decisions could be enforced immediately and have all needed instruments to intervene in time and prevent these frauds.

According to the prime minister, the state authorities and liquidators of the three problem banks, who participated in the meeting, highlighted more constraints, impediments and barriers, and considered possibilities to remove them. In this context, Pavel Filip referred to a decision by the Court of Appeal on a case dealing with Azolux Ltd company and which represents an attempt to cause damage worth over 100 million lei to the banks under liquidation.     

“These judges must understand, in fact, that they do not inflict a damage of 100 million lei to the banks, but eventually harm the citizens of Moldova. This case shows us that the judicial system still represents a problem in Moldova and a direct constraint in the reimbursement of the embezzled money,” the prime minister said.     

Pavel Filip also said that the Committee’s meetings would take place periodically, at least once a month. He reiterated that this platform of discussion was very important for the government, as an instrument of monitoring cases of major social interest.

The committee has the task to ensure interaction between the state’s institutions, in order to efficiently and operatively manage cases of increased social interest, identify the impediments and undertake needed measures to settle them. Prime Minister Pavel Filip stressed that this platform acted horizontally and had a consultative role.  

(Editor A. Raileanu)