Moldtelecom director contest and APP overhaul
Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu has issued a series of demands concerning the management and reorganisation of state-owned enterprises amid mounting corruption and patronage scandals.
Speaking at a government meeting, Munteanu announced that Roman Cojuhari, director of the Public Property Agency (APP), had resigned. He called for the agency to be placed under the authority of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation.
However, the prime minister said the government would not yet change the rules governing how state-owned enterprises transfer part of their profits to the state budget. Other reforms, including tax reform, would continue, he added.
The government meeting followed allegations concerning questionable appointments at state companies. Presidential relatives, former officials and the partners of company directors have reportedly secured lucrative positions, in some cases receiving salaries while doing little work or remaining abroad.
Munteanu said he had already warned the previous week that the APP required a far-reaching overhaul. He cited concerns surrounding the management of companies including MoldATSA and Metalferos, as well as the performance of their supervisory boards.
“When suspicions and questions arise regarding the management of state property, we in the government have only one responsibility and one course of action. We investigate first, and only then do we make decisions and restore order,” Munteanu said.
He confirmed Cojuhari’s resignation and instructed Deputy Prime Minister Eugen Osmochescu to present a reorganisation plan as soon as possible.
Appointments and pay come under review
Munteanu said the government would examine how members of supervisory boards are appointed and paid. Ministers will be required to account for their representatives on those boards, explaining who they are, what they do and what results they have achieved.
The central question, the prime minister said, is whether the appointees have the necessary professional qualifications.
“These positions must be occupied by professionals, and every leu spent must be justified before the public. Anyone who knows they can no longer meet these standards or justify their work and remuneration should consider resigning, honourably or otherwise,” he claimed.
The message appeared aimed at a system long accused of favouring political loyalty over professional competence. The government is now promising that appointments will be assessed according to qualifications and performance.
The most prominent demand concerned the Moldtelecom director contest, which Munteanu ordered suspended. The APP had reportedly shortlisted two finalists without publicly disclosing their names, prompting questions over the transparency of the procedure.
The previous week, Ion Chicu warned that the new selection process risked becoming another public scandal. Munteanu also demanded that a proposed change to the calculation of profit transfers from state-owned enterprises be frozen.
“As long as there are serious questions regarding the activities of MoldATSA and other state-owned enterprises, the government will not change the profit-transfer rules. The principle is simple: first we investigate and restore order, and only then do we approve changes,” he declared.
Oversight team expands as questions remain
The prime minister also announced plans to expand the government’s oversight unit. He invited “honest, competent and courageous people” willing to “defend the public interest” to submit their applications.
“We are looking for people who will not defend personal or group interests or use their position to settle scores. We need people who will protect the public interest and state funds,” Munteanu said.
His wording also raised an obvious question about the standards under which the oversight body had previously operated.
Munteanu clarified that the recruitment process would not be a conventional public competition, as the prime minister has the right to form his own team. Applicants may submit their CVs, with the government promising to review them and publish the results.
The public call for underperforming officials to resign is notable. The unresolved question is whether the initiative will lead to genuine investigations and criminal cases or follow a familiar pattern under PAS: high-profile statements and resignations, while unnamed “fraudsters” are blamed without being publicly identified.
The suspension of the Moldtelecom director contest may ease some of the immediate pressure. The larger test will be whether the government’s promises produce lasting changes or merely provide another temporary outlet for public frustration.
