Moldovan PM asks General Prosecutor's Office to investigate mode of management of country's irrigation stations

Chisinau, 11 September /MOLDPRES/ – The faulty management of Agency Apele Moldovei (AAM) (The waters of Moldova) and the deplorable situation in the public irrigation sector were severely criticised by Prime Minister, Pavel Filip. During a working meeting, convened today in the Government, it was presented a video about the disastrous situation at the Carpineni irrigation technical station in Hancesti district. Since 2014, this is inoperative. However, there are 11 employees and the salary debts exceed MDL 154 thousand, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

In a similar situation there are also the other 11 Technological Plants for Irrigation in Moldova, where there are employed 521 persons and the yearly salary fund is over MDL 18 million.

"I consider this a crime and a cause of prejudice to the state. There is a lack of responsibility because we have had a head at AAM all this time, we had managers at these state-owned enterprises, we had ministers who managed this sector – I refer to the Ministry of Environment, now the Ministry of Agriculture, Development Regional and Environment (MADRM), but I do not know why no one wanted to draw attention to these issues," said Pavel Filip.

The 11 enterprises, managed by AAM, caused losses of MDL 59 million in 2014 – 2017 – the tariffs for pumping water not covering the actual costs of rendering services. All the losses incurred were paid out of the state budget.

Pavel Filip requested the preparation of a referral to the General Prosecutor's Office for starting the criminal case in order to elucidate the circumstances and punish the ones guilty of the disastrous situation in the public irrigation sector. "I want all those who have been responsible for this area to be responsible criminally. For all those millions that the state has paid to answer those in charge for this sector. We cause salary debts, we keep employees, we pay penalties for a sector that does not exist," said Pavel Filip.

The PM also called for the urgent reorganisation of AAM and optimisation of the expenditures. "I want to end with the bad practice, when on behalf of the state there can be done anything and the state good of no one," said PM.