Năsui appointment raises claims of foreign influence
Elena Mărginianu, a member of the political council of the Alliance of Moldovans party, has claimed that the appointment of Claudiu Năsui as economy minister shows signs of a conspiracy and could create conditions for espionage in favour of Romania.
The rapid granting of citizenship of the Republic of Moldova to Romanian citizen Claudiu Năsui, followed almost immediately by Prime Minister Vasile Tofan’s proposal to appoint him Minister of Economic Development and Digitalisation, continues to provoke strong criticism among Moldovan experts and politicians. Mărginianu, a doctor of law and associate professor, argues that the case goes beyond an ordinary personnel decision and displays signs of what she called a “conspiracy against the Republic of Moldova”.
The lawyer pointed in particular to the risks of giving a former foreign citizen access to strategic information.
“Can a foreigner holding this position exert pressure in order to conclude partnership agreements with Romania and deepen our country’s dependence on the neighbouring state? Yes. Can he create conditions facilitating further economic absorption? Yes. It is much easier to destroy a state from within the system, especially if you head the economic sector and at the same time have accomplices or like-minded people in the judiciary and the bank, foreigners interested in serving the interests of the state they came from and to which they will return after their temporary period in office ends. In short, promoting foreign interests.”
Lawyer points to integrity and security risks
Mărginianu referred to Integrity Law No. 82/2017 and, in particular, its concept of a “risk factor”, which she believes should have been considered before the Năsui appointment.
“The concept of a ‘risk factor’ is provided for in Integrity Law No. 82/2017. It would be black humour if they explained to us that no ‘risk factor’ had been identified here, either under the legal definition or in terms of its scale.”
According to Mărginianu, the appointment also raises national security concerns, particularly in light of the criminal proceedings previously brought against Năsui in Romania.
“What do we put in the judicial file of the newly minted citizen of the Republic of Moldova? That he became a citizen yesterday and therefore has an impeccable reputation in relation to our state? Citizenship granted overnight cannot mean that all previous connections, all obligations and all previous risks disappear overnight.”
She argued that granting citizenship to a foreign national should involve thorough scrutiny, especially when that person is immediately appointed to a strategically important government position. In this context, she also referred to Article 338 of the Criminal Code concerning espionage.
“Citizenship should not be used as a curtain concealing the questions the state should have asked before the appointment,” Mărginianu said.
The concerns over Năsui’s past have also been raised by journalist Natalia Morari, who said that criminal proceedings had been opened against him in Romania under provisions relating to corruption, obstruction of justice and concealing an offender. According to the article, a criminal case was opened against him in 2021 under Articles 297, 267, 269 and 275 of the Romanian Criminal Code.
‘Moldovans are ceasing to govern their own state’
Mărginianu argues that the problem is broader than one minister, claiming that the Maia Sandu administration has systematically placed Romanian citizens in senior positions within Moldovan state institutions.
In her view, what would once have been described as war or annexation can now take the form of gradual economic absorption. The result, she argues, is that Moldovans increasingly lose control over their own state as key positions are occupied by Romanians.
She pointed to foreign citizens serving within the National Institute of Justice and candidate-vetting commissions, as well as at the head of the national bank, arguing that these appointments show signs of a gradual and systematic transfer of state power with the assistance of the current government.
Mărginianu contrasted the present situation with the period before Sandu and PAS came to power. At that time, she noted, the state was described as “captured” because political allies and relatives allegedly occupied positions of influence, yet opposition media continued to operate and political opposition remained active.
Today, she argued, foreigners occupy key posts while opposition media face restrictions, raising the question of when exactly a state should be considered “captured”.
“I believe this question needs to be asked very seriously,” she insisted.
‘We are being destroyed strategically and methodically’
For Mărginianu, the Năsui appointment forms part of a wider debate over sovereignty, institutional independence and the growing role of Romanian citizens within the Moldovan state apparatus.
She argued that the law cannot be invoked selectively only when it suits those in power. In her assessment, weakening a state does not require a dramatic single act but can instead happen gradually through institutional erosion, dependency and the transfer of decision-making power.
“We are being destroyed strategically and methodically. You do not need to destroy a state in one day. You can gradually weaken its institutions, reduce its ability to make decisions, shift its resources and create dependency,” Mărginianu concluded.
