Today, Moldova’s Parliament is approving a new government headed by banker Vasile Tofan.
The appointment has once again drawn attention to the incomes and assets of President Maia Sandu’s team and members of her inner circle.
Tofan has served on the supervisory board of MAIB, Moldova’s largest bank, since 2018. Before that, he was a senior partner at the investment fund Horizon Capital. His nomination has sparked renewed interest in his business ties and remuneration.
According to available information, between 2020 and 2025, Tofan received approximately 960,000 lei per year for his work on MAIB’s supervisory board—roughly 80,000 lei per month.
The discussion surrounding Tofan’s salary has also reignited debate over the incomes and lifestyles of senior Moldovan officials, which many citizens consider far beyond the reach of ordinary workers.
Public asset declarations show that presidential advisers, like the head of state herself, report incomes and assets significantly above Moldova’s average wage. Recently, President Sandu also called for higher salaries for both the president and the prime minister.
Among the presidential advisers are Lilia Tonu, Olga Roșca, Stanislav Secrieru, Stella Jantuan, Mihaela Fedoseev, and others.
According to their publicly available asset declarations:
• Lilia Tonu has owned three vehicles since 2022.
• Olga Roșca, the daughter of a Constitutional Court judge, purchased an apartment in 2023 and reported investments totaling £107,493.
• Stanislav Secrieru has co-owned real estate valued at approximately €500,000 since 2020 and holds around €100,000 in bank accounts.
• Stella Jantuan acquired a new vehicle in 2025 and also received 122,467 lei in royalties for intellectual property from an NGO founded by former Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița.
• Mihaela Fedoseev’s family purchased an apartment in 2023 for 1,159,560 lei.
Particular attention has been drawn to the financial disclosures of Stella Recean, the wife of former Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
Employed at MAIB, she reported an annual salary of 5,259,820 lei, as well as a 13,394,000 lei bonus received during the previous year.
Notably, no comparable bonuses appeared in her asset declarations between 2021 and 2024.
Bonus payments at MAIB are overseen by the bank’s supervisory board, with the Appointments and Remuneration Committee chaired by none other than Vasile Tofan, who is now the nominee for the office of prime minister.
