Ex-PM says president's entourage buy up state assets cheaply
Presidential advisers and other people from the entourage of Moldova's acting President Vladimir Voronin have been involved in fraudulent privatization deals that inflicted millions in losses to the state. Statements to this effect were made today by ex-Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev, who is running for a parliamentary seat [at the 29 July early parliamentary election] on the ticket of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). ProTV failed to get in touch with the press service of the presidential administration to comment on the accusations.
The Mezon plant, the Codru and National hotels are only some of the state assets which were sold fraudulently, Vasile Tarlev says.
Tarlev: "Ninety-two per cent of shares of the Mezon plant, which was the flagship of the Moldovan industry during Soviet times, were sold in October 2008 for only about 8m dollars. But when I was prime minister [2001 - 2008] foreign investors were ready to pay ! at least 12m dollars."
The PSD candidate said that the companies were privatized although they were profitable, while their cost was artificially low because people from the president's entourage also benefited from these deals.
Tarlev: "I am speaking here about the entourage of the president, his counsellors and the oligarchic group around the head of state."
However, Vasile Tarlev avoided giving names. The press service of the presidential administration has not yet commented on the accusations launched by the PSD candidate.
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