Dragoș Galbur, chairman of the National Moldovan Party (PNM), has alleged that senior managers and employees at the state-owned air navigation company MoldATSA diverted millions of dollars through foreign bank accounts.
Galbur said he possessed documents supporting claims that money transferred to MoldATSA by Eurocontrol had been withdrawn in small cash amounts from accounts opened abroad, including in Italy. He alleged that the transactions were concealed through unofficial accounting records. The accusations have not been independently proven. MoldATSA has rejected allegations that Eurocontrol funds were misappropriated.
MoldATSA fund allegations involve foreign accounts
According to Galbur, the practice of opening foreign accounts and withdrawing funds from them dates back to the period of Communist government and continued under the country’s subsequent oligarchic system. He claimed that the scheme remains possible because MoldATSA opens accounts abroad without notifying either the National Bank of Moldova or the State Treasury.
“You send the head of the institution, for example, to Italy, because accounts had been opened there. I can document everything I am saying; I am not inventing anything. He withdraws cash from the bank account money intended for MoldATSA. In doing so, they leave their own trail while trying to cover their tracks,” Galbur said.
He alleged that approximately $10 million in Eurocontrol payments had been diverted through the scheme by 2012–2013.
According to the politician, one sum appeared in Eurocontrol’s records while a different amount was entered in the company’s accounts. He said previous inspections had identified these discrepancies and claimed that some of those involved still worked at MoldATSA.
Employment and management controversies widen
The MoldATSA fund allegations come amid a wider scandal surrounding appointments, salaries and management practices at the enterprise. Questions were previously raised over the employment of Anastasia Taburceanu, a cousin of President Maia Sandu. Critics alleged that she had been receiving a monthly salary exceeding 120,000 lei.
Taburceanu later announced that she was leaving the company. Earlier public statements attributed to her had disputed claims about the size of her basic salary and explained that she had been recruited without an open competition because her position was not classified as managerial.
The controversy followed the suspension of MoldATSA director Dmitrii Vangheli. The Public Property Agencylaunched an internal inquiry into the legality and authenticity of documents submitted during the competition for his appointment.
Former Infrastructure Minister Andrei Spînu called for the immediate dismissal of employees receiving salaries that could not be justified, regardless of any family connections.
“Everyone receiving an unjustifiably high salary must be dismissed immediately, regardless of the degree of kinship,” Spînu said.
He also demanded that MoldATSA publish full information on how resources received from Eurocontrol had been used.
Prosecutors asked to investigate missing funds
Vasile Costiuc, an MP and leader of the Democracy at Home party, has submitted a complaint to the General Prosecutor’s Office Moldova requesting an investigation into the alleged disappearance of €3 million.
The money was provided by Eurocontrol in 2022 to support MoldATSA’s operations during a period of crisis. The enterprise has denied that the funds were stolen or misused. MoldATSA said their expenditure had been reviewed by the independent auditor ATA Consult, which concluded in March 2024 that the money had been used for its intended purposes.
That audit has not ended the political dispute. Critics are demanding greater transparency over foreign accounts, payments from Eurocontrol, recruitment procedures and salaries at the state company.
Galbur’s assertion that he can substantiate his claims with documents has increased pressure on the authorities to conduct a formal investigation and publish its findings.
Until such an inquiry establishes what happened, the MoldATSA fund allegations remain contested claims rather than proven facts. However, the growing number of accusations has placed the management of one of Moldova’s strategically important state enterprises under intense scrutiny.
