We rely on your support for our independence Fellow journalist Marian Männi and I pick and pop them into our mouths as we follow our chosen tour guide up a hill a famous Moldovan landmark and archaeological site It consists of three villages: Trebujeni to the north Butuceni to the west and Morovaia to the east we climb a hill to find one of many cave monasteries My guide showcases a cave monastery above the Răut River A picture from the inside of the cave looking out The sloping bank of the Răut River emerges from a perfectly flat field it is a natural reminder of how landscapes evolve You can find perfect seashells on the limestone bank in a country with no coastline the Răut River was part of the ancient Sarmatian Sea One can barely see the river under the hill He is a renowned historian from Moldova and a professor at the Faculty of Philology and History at “Ion Creangă” State Pedagogical University He has worked to educate locals about the history of Old Orhei and how to develop tourism businesses He has also guided them in creating guesthouses and writing proposals for funding to build flushing toilets in their homes Old Orhei has been one of the main subjects of his research since 1996 “I know everyone in Orheiul Vechi [the Romanian version of the name]!” he laughs He also knows all of the approximately 300 caves in the area and has personally researched many of them Professor Sergiu Musteață says that people working in Moldovan tourism need to understand that the basis of it is history and heritage Musteață leads us along a hidden path lined with cherry trees from an old student’s base Researchers have been excavating this area for decades as the unique landscape reveals layers of settlements dating back to prehistoric times we usually clean the neighborhood and cut the grass first,” Musteață says If only tourists knew about this shortcut hidden in nature Professor Musteață peers through a rustic gate “We have organized 20 years of summer camps for the locals during the excavations only a few locals have made a name for themselves in the tourism sector It should be the most prominent place among tourists,” Musteață comments The current underground tunnels date back to 1820 the caves in these limestone hills have existed since the 14th century Orthodox monks found solitude and a place for spiritual retreat in this isolation but only a few tourists will visit it,” says Musteață We walk past the Peștera cave monastery and head off-road to find another lesser-known monastery passing through the Church of Ascension of St The view of the valley and fields is breathtaking the professor leads us onto an almost unrecognizable road downhill from the bank Our slippers aren’t ideal footwear for this leg of the journey we climb down the limestone bank to a land of grazing cows we climb again to another obscure cave monastery of Old Orhei the monastery is covered in signs of human habitation.The church’s facade is engraved with Slavonian writing: “This church was built by the slave of Bosie We see where the monks would sleep and where they built their fireplace All the caves are in remarkably good shape This structure often goes unexplored by tourists “It’s a bit too far and difficult to access That’s why people don’t know much about it and wouldn’t end up here,” Musteață explains And its antiquity is richer than one might expect The surroundings have been populated since the Paleolithic era due to good location — the river protects Old Orhei from three sides The land is suitable for agriculture and flowing water is nearby Archaeological findings suggest that the Getians built some fortresses and settlements in this region during the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE taking advantage of the natural fortifications provided by the rocky outcroppings and riverbanks In the 14th century CE, Old Orhei became part of the medieval state of Moldova (Țara Moldovei) after the collapse of the Golden Horde, a Mongol-Tatar state that controlled this territory as well After the Tatar period in the 12th to 14th centuries, an Orthodox Christian community developed during medieval times. Political stability and the protective embrace of nature made Old Orhei an important center. Moldovan hero and ruler Stephen the Great The area was fortified with strong defensive walls and towers Life in Old Orhei slowly faded in the 17th century The administration moved to neighboring New Orhei The last monks are believed to have left Old Orhei at the beginning of the 19th century many monastic communities in the region faced significant challenges due to political changes invasions and pressures from the expanding Ottoman Empire The decline in monastic life at Old Orhei was part of a broader trend affecting many religious sites in the region a new Virgin Mary Church was built atop the bank near a cave monastery to revitalize the area’s spiritual significance It serves as a symbol of Old Orhei’s continued religious heritage even after the original monastic community dispersed Many historical sites in Old Orhei face the problem of random preservation efforts which are not concerned with preserving the site’s authentic look In 2023, the road from Butuceni village in the Cultural-Natural Reserve was asphalted, which led to an investigation by the Ministry of Culture It ruined the village’s authenticity but gave locals more logistical freedom we notice a brand-new red-roofed dwelling that like the newly constructed path to the Peștera cave monastery and the asphalted road in Butuceni village This modern tampering is one thing preventing Moldova from having its first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site “There is too much industrialization in a place where authenticity is worshiped,” Musteață laments The Old Orhei Reserve has been on the UNESCO tentative list for years but is not moving forward any time soon “I don’t think there is much hope at the moment,” Musteață admits honestly He and other researchers have worked for years to put this site on the world map as a part of humanity’s historical cradle “The landscape and the density of settlements since prehistory is special You can see the changes in this part of the world Christians — there is a huge variety of artifacts describing how people lived in this area,” Musteață explains The Orthodox Church still holds significant power in the small country of Moldova but only traces of the glory the church once had in Old Orhei remain the Soviet Union started excavations in the region which also disrupted the old sites; they built a new road through the Golden Horde citadel and cut it in half “A historic road should go around the citadel The professor feels that many of Moldova’s stories remain untold We need to tell our story!” Musteață suggests He thinks the country itself should put Orhei at the top of the list of tourist destinations in Moldova it’s the most important tourist site in the country “People working in this field in Moldova need to understand that the basis of tourism is history and heritage.” That is another reason why Moldova’s Old Orhei is not on the UNESCO list “Our country overall is underrepresented,” Musteață believes According to UNESCO, the organization is not in a position to comment on what is missing for Old Orhei to receive its World Heritage Site title. Moldova first proposed the area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 but withdrew its nomination the following year Moldova submitted a new version of the nomination dossier as “Orheiul Vechi Archaeological Landscape,” a cultural site Following the evaluation process and a recommendation by the International Council on Monuments and Sites The listed site includes 34 points across all ten countries The country is eager to earn its very own World Heritage Site title [Lee Thompson-Kolar edited this piece.] The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries We have sent a link to your registered email address to reset your password Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page the Republic of Moldova – lacking both mountains and coastlines - was considered to be bereft of tourist attractions Even its own people did not really realize that there is an exceptional cultural-natural treasury right in the middle of the country The Orhei zone was perceived to be typical in its riversides Its inhabitants were not aware of what they had: thus architectural monuments were abandoned and degrading and forests were cut and used inappropriately Only in 2002 were the first rural tourist services launched the Ministry of Environment - in partnership with UNDP Moldova and with the financial support of the Global Environment Facility - initiated the procedure for establishing the country's National Park within the framework of “improving coverage and management effectiveness of the protected area system in Moldova” In 2013 Parliament decided to establish the Orhei National Park the National Park was established to preserve biodiversity stop the degradation of forestry ecosystems restore sustainable management of forests and pastures preserve cultural and architectural-historical heritage and promote environmentally-friendly farming and eco-tourism studies were carried out to identify tourist attractions and local people were trained in the importance of conserving biodiversity all so as sustainably develop rural tourism in Moldavia Important values of rural civilization and national culture are concentrated in Orhei within an attractive and picturesque frame Many centuries-old traditions have been preserved here The Orhei National Park is an important tourist attraction as are the Trebujeni and Ţiganesti landscape reserves Churchi forest,  dozens of archeological sites And it is also liked by lovers of transcendental practices who consider it to be an especially energetic centre The Orhei National Park is now an area of national importance Part of the national park – cultural-natural reserve “Old Orhei” is in the process of being included in UNESCO's World Heritage List Subscribe to our distribution list to receive the GEF Newsletter Sign up © 2025 Global Environment Facility, All Rights Reserved.  |   Legal Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none. Get quality reporting directly into your inbox, every week Renato Usatîi topped the polls in Balti, the second largest city in Moldova. Ilan Shor won the mayoralty of Orhei, a city close to Chisinau. Local elections in Moldova on Sunday, June 14, dealt a blow to pro-European parties, as the vote was split with pro-Russian parties.  Millionaire Renato Usatîi, 36, won the mayoralty by more than 73 percent of the vote, representing his party Partidul Nostru (Our Party). Usatîi has business ties with the Kremlin and the state giant Russian Railways.  According to a documentary by OCCRP partners RISE Moldova and RISE Project, Usatii moved last year from Russia to Moldova where he orchestrated a takeover of the largest Moldovan bank, Universalbank, from a Russian banker living in self-imposed exile in England, German Gorbuntsov. Gorbunstov has accused Usatii of conspiring to have him killed – an allegation the businessman strongly denies. Last November, Usatîi’s party Patria (Homeland) was removed from parliamentary elections and Usatîi fled to Moscow after authorities in Chisinau accused him of accepting illegal funding from Russia amounting to about US$ 450,000. In Orhei, businessman Ilan Shor, 28, won the mayoralty by just under 62 percent. He stood for the party Ravnopravie (the Republican Socio-Political Movement for Equality), which supports the independence of the disputed region of Transnistria and campaigns for Moldova's integration into Russia. Shor has recently found himself at the center of the biggest financial and criminal scandal in the recent history of Moldova. He is being investigated in connection with what has become known in Chisinau as "the theft of the century" –allegedly robbing three banks of up to 13.5 billion lei (about a billion dollars), which is equivalent to an eighth of Moldova’s GDP. According to an audit report by the United States-based investigative consultancy Kroll, individuals and companies affiliated with Shor took control of three banks – Banca de Economii, Unibank and Banca Sociala. Then, it alleges, the banks were used to transfer large sums to Shor Group companies. Shor holds several of the commercial spaces in Chisinau Airport. He owns two television stations, Euro TV and Alt TV. He is also the patron of the local football team, Milsami Orhei, which won Moldova’s national football championship. In the capital Chisinau, the incumbent pro-European mayor, Dorin Chirtoaca of the Liberal Party, retained a tiny advantage of less than two percent, meaning he will now need to fight run-off against former premier Zenaida Greceanii, candidate for the pro-Russian Socialist Party of Moldova. The poll will take place on June 28. Support from readers like you helps OCCRP expose organized crime and corruption around the world. By donating, you’ll be directly supporting investigative journalism as a public good. You’ll also gain access to exclusive insights and benefits. Fake Facebook accounts ran rampant during this year’s elections in Ukraine. Ahead of the parliamentary polls, Slidstvo.info... Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor now working as U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, has taken the... Money and Russians are pouring ​into ​the once-quiet seaside town of Sliema. While there’s no denying that it’s been good... You don't have permissions to access this page, 147.45.197.102. 26 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}CS Petrocub won 2–0 over FC Milsami Orhei on Sat This is 7 of the Super Liga Championship Group Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are CS Petrocub 15 win(s) Haven't kept a clean sheet in 5 matches CS Petrocub and FC Milsami Orhei have not drawn any of their last 3 matches against each other Have scored 17 goals in their last 5 matches Radu Ginsari is the competition's top scorer (9) Who won between CS Petrocub and FC Milsami Orhei on Sat 26 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT?CS Petrocub won 2–0 over FC Milsami Orhei on Sat 26 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 8 goals in their last 5 matches CS Petrocub is playing home against FC Milsami Orhei on Sat Source: footballghana.com « Prev Next » Comments (0) Listen to Article David Sandan Abagna (number 17) You don't have permissions to access this page Registration has been successfully completed Make a new account if you don't have one yet Puedes ver la versión Española de BeSoccer.com You can see the English version of BeSoccer.com Vous pouvez voir la version French de BeSoccer.com Puoi vedere la versione Italian su BeSoccer.com Você pode ver a versão Brasileira de BeSoccer.com Ilan Shor’s property in the Republic of Moldova remained frozen The prosecutors have identified goods worth 51 million lei according to figures provided by the Cadastre and they want to find out information about the property of the mayor of Orhei abroad the officials cannot say when Ilan Shor's case gets to the court They underline that the external competent bodies have not yet completed the requests of rogatory commissions about the turnover or the final beneficiaries of some offshore companies Anticorruption prosecutors say that Ilan Shor's case is at the stage of criminal prosecution and the mayor of Orhei is subject to judicial control "We do not know when the case might get to the court it  depends on external competent bodies We sent requests to rogatory commissions which have not been completed so far We asked for details about turnover and the final beneficiaries of some offshore companies " acting head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecution Ilan Shor was heard again at the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday It is about the investigation of defrauding of the two banks by the decision-makers of the latter in November 2014 The frauds are enormous in both the case of Banca de Economii- 13,5 billion lei members of the Administration Councils  of Banca de Economii (Savings Bank) of Banca Sociala and representatives of legal entities are accused in this criminal case Prosecutors seized the movable and immovable property which the businessman owns on the territory of the Republic of Moldova We do not have access to data bases in Russia and we do not know what goods can be seized According to the statements on income for the past two years filed by Shor when he started the electoral run for mayor of Orhei  The statement on income and property for 2013-2014 shows that Ilan Shor raised a salary of 255,000 lei The businessman also declared two apartments with a total area of ​​almost 400 square meters a plot and a construction of 48.6 square meters Shor declared four cars - a Bentley Continental The mayor of Orhei has only 3 bank accounts on his name with a sum of 384.00 thousands lei and over 700 dollars In the electoral run for the office of Mayor of Orhei Ilan Show was financed by Dufremol SRL that has a company behind founded and managed by Ilona Shor The company donated over one and a half million lei to the budget of the party Ravnopravie he got over one million lei from 23 employees at Dufremol SRL Other properties were not included in the income statement. The portal MoldStreet said that Ilan Shor was owner of the football team Milsami Orhei of the hotel Klassik and of the company Moldklassika International Shor owns a number of buildings and businesses in Russia and Kyrgyzstan He inherited a part of the property from his father In the self-denunciation signed in front of prosecutors Ilan Shor points to details about sums of hundreds of millions of dollars which he paid through different methods to Vlad Filat The mayor of Orhei said that conditions related to the scandal with the company Le Bridge forced him to ask for help to Filat and he paid a bribe of 500.000 dollars to end excessive checks and win the trial Vlad Filat had allegedly asked for a bribe of one million dollars to allow duty-free trade with oil in the customs area of ​​the Republic of Moldova and the liberal-democratic leader was supposed to get the rest of the money after he completes his promise Shor has shown in his self-denunciation that Filat proposed to redeem credits from Banca de Economii amounting at one billion lei to solve the problems at the customs and filling stations The former Prime Minister has not honored his promise; he did not return the money to the businessman Mayor of Orhei said that he had given to Vlad Filat a sum of 20 million lei last on October 10 2015 "for the needs of the party" at the office of LDPM on str In a survey carried out by the Center for Investigative Journalism in 2011 reporters revealed that the properties of the Trade Unions were sold at derisory price to Shor’s companies which he pledged and took loans by 3-10 times higher than their value Loans were taken from Banca de Economii (Savings Bank) and Banca Sociala (Social Bank) Textele de pe pagina web a Centrului de Investigații Jurnalistice www.anticoruptie.md sunt realizate de jurnaliști cu respectarea normelor deontologice și sunt protejate de dreptul de autor Preluarea textelor știrilor și a investigațiilor jurnalistice se realizează în limita maximă de 500 de semne instituţii media sau bloguri) trebuie indicat şi linkul direct la articolul preluat de pe www.anticoruptie.md în primul alineat iar în cazul posturilor de radio și TV – se citează obligatoriu sursa Preluarea integrală a textelor se poate realiza doar în condiţiile unui acord prealabil semnat cu Centrul de Investigații Jurnalistice DOC// Who is the judge sent to the dock for false statements in asset declarations DOC // What the court responded to the mayor of Bălți regarding his request to dissolve Moldovagaz as a legal entity End of honorary consul career. Former Civil Aviation director Valentin Vizant loses lawsuit against foreign ministry Laundromat case: compensation awarded to former judge Igor Vornicescu challenged DOC// Vlad Plahotniuc’s ex-wife continues legal fight over seized assets. Requests case transfer Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest information Orhei authorities have announced two years ago about the construction of a European motorsports complex Almost two million lei were wasted for designing the complex: 1.2 million lei from the national budget and over 600,000 from the district budget because money was not earmarked for the construction The Court of Auditors found that the design was done in the absence of a feasibility study and the procurement group rejected the company that proposed the lowest price as the selection criterion was breached the National Anticorruption Center opened a criminal case against ex-mayor Vitalie Colun for abuse of power the state has allocated 1,200,000 lei  for designing the European motorsports complex in Orhei The money was intended to "finance capital expenditures." Orhei Mayor’s Office voted a decision by which they included this amount in the local budget The project authors  said that Moldova had great potential in terms of motorsports and  this initiative was backed by several councilors and former mayor of Orhei the mayor’s office decided to approve "the concept of socio-economic development of town Orhei for designing the European motorsport center issued by the councilor Vladislav Shevchenko" "mayor Colun was forced to develop a technical project of execution and feasibility study on the land where the motor racing tracks were supposed to be built” the mayor was to initiate the procurement procedure and tender Vitalie Colun: „National budget was supposed to earmark money for construction” Former mayor Vitalie Colun claims that they did not have money first onset but the state was supposed to provide necessary funds both for the construction of the complex and design "The initiative came from Democrat councilors  in Orhei and was later taken over by the Association " Orhei Autodrom" representing the interests of athletes in the field The national budget earmarked 1,200,000 lei for design and the councilors gave the rest of money The money for the construction was supposed to be earmarked from the national budget because the town cannot afford the luxury of building it  We planned to make a complex for international competitions that does not exist in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe World competitions were to take place here But after Orhei town administration changed the  mayor’s office offered  a total surface of 45 hectares for the construction of the motorsports complex of which 38 hectares for the complex and the rest for the protection of the River Raut the mayor’s office  issued urbanism certificate for designing the complex  on 2 public lands  - one with an area of 22.8401 hectares The construction of the multifunctional complex is set in Orhei Regional Development Strategy 2016-2020 the document does not set clear term for the project completion as it does not  stipulate any deadline The strategy writes that the money for the project will come from the district council or from extra budgetary sources Sergiu Gutu from the Association "Orhei Autodrom" claims that they have never fixed a deadline for the completion of this project and 230 million lei is necessary for building this motorsports complex According to Public Association "Orhei Autodrom", the design was developed by Russian company "Racetracks" this company writes that it designed several motor tracks in Russia to be built in Orhei at international standards will be used to conduct national and international karting competitions the complex will be attractive to tourism development" reads the plan developed by the " Racetracks"  that argues that is working with Hermann Tilke All engines in a multifunctional complex  Russian company proposed tracks for practicing over 10 types of motorsports for the complex in Orhei and then a drag track with a total length of 850 meters motocross and Jeep Cross Trial with a  length  of 1 250 to 1 500 meters will be arranged across the other side of the river The complex will be equipped with specialized infrastructure stalls for teams and stands for spectators "Money used did not have any social or economic impact" According to an audit report of the Court of Auditors local authorities have committed violations at the outset: "In the absence of a feasibility study on determining the need and opportunity of building a European sports complex the council  allowed the design in order to achieve  the project  from financial funds amounting to 1.9 million lei " the expected value of the works is 200 million lei a sum almost impossible for the local budget The Court of Auditors notes that the design was carried out in the absence of the decision to award the land the audit reveals use of financial resources for design The audit reveals that the working group for public procurement within the mayor’s office Orhei won the contract for design services of the European sports complex in the town Orhei having as selection criteria of the winning offer the maximum points for 3 factors: the price of the offer capability of the tenderer  (including similar experience) and the tenderer who totaled the maximum score was rejected and they accepted the one with average points" National Anti-Corruption Center (NAC) opened criminal cases against former mayor Vitalie Colun for abuse of power it was found that "on 19 December 2014 following prior agreement with the working group 229 and registered it at the Public Procurement Agency based on which Orhei Town Hall purchased from SRL "Taracadas" sports complex design services in  town Orhei worth 1 873 000,00 lei,  by 881 861 lei more than the lowest offer" the NAC investigation revealed that „by the decision No 72 of the working group on awarding the agreement of design services for the sport complex the winning contractor was selected the offer of the consortium SRL „Teracadas” Individual Enterprise „Gorbaciov Mihail Gheorghevici”  at the price of 1 873 000 lei  in spite of the fact that other economic unit presented a better offer -  of 991 139,16 lei – and according to the centralizer of points got more points  against the winning consortium ”.  Rejected for „ irrelevant experience” The working group argued that the company that proposed the lowest price was rejected because it had "irrelevant experience in design services" Criminal investigation has established that "in fact the design of the European sports complex was executed by" Intexnauca "under the contract signed with  SRL" Taracadas" against the sum of 840 000 lei while the rest of the amount has been transferred to the company " Gorbachev Mikhail Gheorghevici" in the Russian Federation Former mayor: „I reject all accusations” former mayor of the town Orhei qualifies as erroneous conclusions of the Court of Auditors "Court of Accounts treated erroneously the fact that we have not bought construction works The Regulation which the Court of Accounts mentioned is used just for works while the contract which we signed pertains to purchase of design services It is actually another regulation that sets the purchase of goods and services and not construction works The document of the Court of Accounts does not refer to individuals but to the mayor’s office” former mayor  said that the selection of  the company was performed without any violations as experience in designing motor tracks was requested under the specifications carried out feasibility and geodesic studies everything related to master-plan to framing the land tracks we considered the experience of the consortium who is accredited by the International Federation of Automotive Engineering for this design has experience in designing buildings but not in motor  tracks" He said that the feasibility study was  conducted in line with the design and  was supposed to be approved by the current administration of the mayor’s office the contract has not been finalized since then We started the project without having money because no investor would agree to come if there is not a master plan a feasibility study and a project already approved" „Orhei Autodrom” requests from mayor’s office the plot for construction the Association "Orhei Autodrom" has sent a request to  town council and mayor of Orhei "The design works have been completed and the project will undergo technical expertise The district council will cover expenditures for it please send us previously allocated land for construction for designing complex This will help us to identify real investors to build complex" writes the request of the Association  Orhei Autodrom" Sergiu Gutu says that the mayor’s office has not come up yet  with a solution: "We do not have a decision We have to do the technical expertise for design mayor’s office Orhei replied to the association  that the land would not be alienated and would propose to the council approval of a public-private partnership the administration of Orhei mayor’s office said that the subject was not proposed on the agenda of the Town Council  as these lands represent a strategic object for the city and its residents the  mayor’s office will examine in details this issue so as it does not have a bad impact on the town and its residents",  reads the reply from Orhei mayor’s office The investigation was accomplished under the Campaign „Public Money Is My Money Too” carried out by the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJM) and the Association for Efficient and Responsible Governance (AGER) within a project funded by the European Union and the National Endowment for Democracy.   PR during pandemic in Chisinau and millions allocated in the absence of a tender to a "close" company to the mayor the mayor of Chisinau Ion Ceban was taking pictures in the background of several equipment units and announced with great pomp that he had started the renovation works of the pedestrian alley on Mircea cel Batran Blvd the equipment that dug a few ditches at the intersection with Petru Zadnipru Str and the City Hall subdivisions were to deal with the tenders for the designation of the company in charge with the repair of the alley the authorities of Chisinau did not organize a the state institutions in the Republic of Moldova spent over MDL 74.8 million for unplanned increases in the price of public procurements made about 700 additional agreements on increasing the value of the procurement contracts were signed the price increases approved by additional agreements amounted to MDL 222.2 million and MDL 310.3 million there are several reasons why the public authorities accept this in other cases - these are made because of someone’s interest or unwillingness of the contracting Perished food products with “bio” label in kindergartens in Chisinau: companies Several audio recordings of intercepted phone calls of employees of some kindergartens Youth and Sport of Chisinau and of several businessmen have shocked the public opinion Intercepted phone calls reveal that small children in kindergarten were supplied with perished food products Names of the persons involved are kept in secret by investigators who pretend to fear for the safety of the families who supplied the children with perished fish and meat Center for Investigative Journalism managed to identify some of the businessmen who appear in intercepted phone calls and analyzed the companies that National Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AMDM) announces a public tender for supply with necessary medicines for hospitals in 2017 As much as about 500 million lei were earmarked for healthcare field Center for Investigative Journalism showed in an investigation that public money intended for procurement in Health – about 800 million lei - reached the accounts of seven companies Four of them were included in 2015 in the blacklist of the Public Procurement Agency after Moldovan medical institutions faced a drug shortage crisis which Modernization with criminal case at Moldova State University Illegal tender or attempted political revenge Moldova State University (USM) and the construction company Lagmar-Impex SRL started a few years ago a large investment for infrastructure development of the educational institution that would end in 2018 the company committed to renovating many dormitories for students and a classroom block USM ceded 2 plots in the center of the capital the company raised a huge residential complex which sells apartments whose prices start from 444 euros/ 1 square meter the "business" came into sight of Anticorruption prosecutors and officers The police suspected that the public tender for the Endless tenders for a project worth 8 million lei Residents in two villages in district Straseni risk losing a project worth eight million lei money that was earmarked for the construction of an aqueduct The tender for selecting the company in charge with works was already organized four times and each time it was challenged by several companies They disagree that they were disqualified for presenting lower prices than the project’s value members of the procurement group say that the law does not allow tenderers to radically decrease the amounts indicated by the designers The process can be delayed because the appeals are examined in the Schools with debts of millions on the brink of a new school year Lands and nonresidential spaces owned by Chisinau Citi Hall  is a real godsend for different economic units or people close to local public authorities Some of them rented spaces with a surface of hundreds of square meters at a price of just seven lei per square meter; others privatized entire buildings at the price required for a dorm room Although the law requires organizing public tenders for leasing and privatization of lands and buildings in the capital especially of non-residential spaces and lands Councilor-landowner and scandal with plots in Colonita The mandate of councilor made himself landowner in Colonita Igor Luchian has recently got 3 plots sold based on a decision of the council which he voted in that period he was part of the commission for public tenders Councilors from the opposition request return of the land to the village and accuse Luchian of conflict of interest the municipality is charged of "selling" the land based on deals to people who take advantage of changes in the law whereby the use of agricultural land can be changed by a vote of the local council and How was the state deprived of 30 million lei Banned sausages still being served to children in schools and kindergartens Tons of sausages are still being served to children in schools and kindergartens despite the discontent of some parents as well as an order of the Ministry of Health which has banned the overfat cold cuts since 2012 The ministry has recently issued another order by which it wishes to indefeasibly take the sausages off the menu in schools and kindergartens since 1st of June  As only a few days are left until then it is not known whether all the kindergartens will manage to remove the sausages from the menu Incompetence in public procurement costs us millions "Eminent" In Squandering Money for Derelict Schools At least ten schools of Chișinău municipality have been closed over the past years because of the small number of pupils the buildings of phantom schools still continue to devour millions of lei from the municipal budget Experts argue that an estimate of the number of pupils and schools should be done and that planning of the use of empty areas should be done based on the respective figures: either to change their destination Road Repair in Chișinău and the Interests of the Mayor Dorin Chirtoacă Works Worth Millions Abandoned on the Construction Site at the Presidency Building The 7th of April 2009 meant scattered hopes and the depletion of the budget by the urge to repair the buildings of the Parliament and of the Presidency destroyed during the violent protests While the Parliament building was renovated in the meantime an abandoned construction site lies opposite the renovation works were stopped back in 2011 a sufficient amount for performing half of the works The authorities have not allocated any funds to preserve the building How the Local Government of Zîrnești Trifles the Public Money Away district of Cahul has compromised a lot of projects with public funds Over one million was thrown away for road renovation everywhere were placed video surveillance cameras the mayoralty hired a relative of the mayor and dubious schemes were applied during the execution of certain public works A Public Servant from Orhei Has Organised Auctions for His Family’s Company The company of a public servant of Orhei won being a favourite in a number of public procurement tenders The former Chief of the Economy Directorate of Orhei District Council who also was the deputy chairman of the working group in charge of procurements facilitated during the period 2011-2014 the winning of a number of procurement contracts with the local government by the company "DCRR-Orhei" JSC founded and managed at the time by his son When the district authorities started to call him to account for the infringements committed Who dribbles the law in the file of the National Stadium The National Stadium situated in the centre of the capital city where the most important football matches were played in former times the Communist governance decided to renovate the sports arena and the company Basconslux was designated to do the demolition the costs of the works at that stage being estimated at eight million lei that was the winner in a number of public tenders after a long correspondence with the authorities A former mayor of Peticeni reaped a bakery at the expense of kindergarten children A Dubious Acquisition: How the Town of Cahul Has Got a Defective Snow Removal Machine Member of Parliament – Favourite Suppliers to State Institutions Two out of the nine companies owned by the Democrat MP Oleg Sârbu are constant suppliers of food and fuel to three psycho-neurological boarding houses from the northern part of the country all of which are under the subordination of the Ministry of Labour The former minister says she has not influenced anyhow the tenders Tenders for the family of the Director of the Public Procurement Agency A Project for the Dump of Bubuieci Compromised by the Interests allocated 3 years ago by the National Ecological Fund (NEF) to the local government of Bubuieci for the purchase of two mobile stations for construction waste processing has become a matter of prosecutorial investigation The General Prosecutor’s Office (GP) has initiated a penal case for embezzlement The GP’s Office informed us about it in the response to an inquiry nobody knows who exactly is prosecuted – the former members of NEF Board of Directors who disbursed Millions of the City Hall “buried” in 41 yards in Chisinau obliged to allocate one million lei for equipment they don’t need Vladimir Molojen was acquitted after he enriched his family’s company during his tenure The stories from www.anticoruptie.md may be used in the limit of up to 1,000 characters Web pages must indicate the source and link directly to the article Radio and TV stations must indicate the source Publishing full version of stories is allowed based on a prior agreement with the Center for Investigative Journalism Articles published on www.anticoruptie.md are protected by the Law on copyright and related rights of Republic of Moldova The territory of the Museum Complex Old Orhei that is under the special protection of the state and the room where the relics which were found by archeologists are exhibited have been hosting weddings and christening parties for about 3 years The beneficiary of this business is the deputy-director of the Complex Lilia Colta officials from the Ministry of Culture wash their hands of this situation and say that they did not have leverage to intervene The room that hosts the parties is in the same building and has a common door with exhibition hall built from money donated by the US Embassy in Chisinau the ballroom is not officially put into operation and the beneficiary of the business does not have a sanitary permit authorization from firefighters and does not pay taxes Lilia Colta says for herself and tells that the ballroom is on land that was bequeathed from her mother and that SRL Pasana claim that the ball room is theirs and Lilia Colta stole their business How was it possible to build a ballroom near a museum Cultural-natural reservation Old Orhei has a special status; it is the most important cultural site in Moldova and is nominalized to be written in the UNESCO World Heritage List the US Embassy in Chisinau has provided to the Ministry of Culture a grant of $ 15,000 for the construction of an exhibition hall on the territory of Museum Complex Old Orhei current Deputy Minister of Culture suggested to build a guest house for tourists near the exhibiting hall and to seek an entrepreneur he served as Head of Penitentiary in village Branesti and his son just had founded SRL Pasana the Council of Trebujeni Mayor’s Office decided to lease a plot of 0.30 hectares in the village Butuceni for the construction of an exhibition hall Exhibition hall and the guest room were built simultaneously "Division of the Museum Complex concluded an agreement with the penitentiary institution and we have provided cheap labor force prisoners who wanted to work and cheaper building materials which could be purchased without mark-ups directly from the quarry in Branesti" constructions were finished and the company Pasana was reorganized Pavel Suvac ceded 50% of shares in the company to his father Boris Suvac and other 50% he sold to Lilia Colta and his daughter Boris Suvac and Lilia Colta decided to demolish the garage and the warehouse behind the guest room and of the exhibition hall "The idea of the ballroom was mine and Lilia Colta accepted it She told me to build it myself because she did not have financial means she was supposed to legalize the construction" says former head of the prison in Branesti The construction of the ballroom started in January 2010 and lasted five months was employed as chief accountant at SRL Pasana an authorization to legalize the demolition of auxiliary buildings and construction of a ballroom Suvac claims that he was the victim of a swindle and Lilia Colta accused in a criminal case under a complaint that was filed by her business partner says that she is the owner of the ballroom director of the museum began to organize weddings and christening parties in the newly built room "I was lured by Lilia Colta in some dubious schemes She tried to dispossess me of the shares which I own in SRL Pasana but the court rejected the request I do not claim her share of income but it should be divided proportionately I issued an order to stop the activity of the ballroom and the pub deputy director from Old Orhei claims that the ballroom was built by her family  My husband and I worked hard at this building Suvac filed a criminal case for extortion against me Suvac was head of jail and he built houses for prosecutors prosecutor at the General Prosecutor's Office who investigated into the case of Lilia Colta is puzzled with the fact that the woman was acquitted "There is conclusive evidence of extortion  The Court of Appeal will issue judgment and we will challenge it at the higher court,” said Vladislav Bobrov  The prosecutor denied Lilia Colta’s allegations "I  do not own a house and I did not work when Suvac served as head of the prison" 2013 Trebujeni Mayor's Office has issued a document showing that Lilia Colta is the owner of a construction land with a surface of 0.1106 hectares the boundaries of that land border on the wall of the exhibition hall built on money of the US Embassy in Chisinau and with the guest house "Old Orhei" Liuba Colta and the Council of the Mayor’s Office Trebujeni allocated this land on April 12 Cadastral documents show that the land where the constructions were built  were meant for pastures it  lies  in the unincorporated area of the village and no other person owns any  land nearby. The document was signed by Mayor of village Trebujeni Tudor Morari and by then cadastral engineer Serghei Popescu According to the report of the meeting of Trebujeni Council held on 13 April 1993 discovered in the archive of Orhei district Liuda Colta has not been assigned any plot who was in his first term as mayor of village Trebujeni 2014 the police in Orhei started a criminal case for forgery of public documents that is currently pending at the District Court Orhei  Serghei Popescu was elected local councilor in Trebujeni on the list of the Liberal Democratic Party in Moldova (LDPM) Popescu quitted the LDPM and joined the Democratic Party in Moldova Serghei Popescu is appointed director of the museum complex Old Orhei by the Ministry of Culture and Lilia Colta is his subordinate "The court will decide whether I am guilty or not why do you care how I was elected director" Though he signed together with Serghei Popescu the property document of the land for Lilia Colta the mayor Tudor Morari appears in the case as a witness is a prosecutor at the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office "It's about an economic dispute of the two partners One of them had money and building materials Colta has documents confirming that she is the owner of the plot where the ballroom is located  The same applies for Popescu’s guilt lawyer at the National Agency for Land Relations and Cadastre argues that the Mayor’s Office Trebujeni committed an illegality when it assigned the plot to Lilia Colta "The sector of land which family Colta claims as  the right to private property  was taken with other  plots in 1996 as the public property of the administrative-territorial unity Trebujeni for " pasture "and not as private property-owned land for housing construction This plot could not be used for housing construction because it is located outside the village limits and its destination was supposed to be changed  in line with current legal framework" Deputy Minister of Culture said that he could not intervene because it is private property "I did not have leverage until recently Following the Government Resolution of May 31 2016 we will be entitled to restrict some economic activities that could harm the historical area," he said  As for  Serghei Popescu,  the Deputy Minister  of culture said that he did not know that he was investigated and was in a conflict of interest "I know that he graduated from the Faculty of History but I did not know that he was investigated under a pending criminal case,” explained the official People in the village say that Gheorghe Postica supervises everything that happens in the village a young entrepreneur from the village Butuceni commune Trebujeni said that he purchased 70 acres of arable land and he wanted to install a greenhouse for tomatoes but the deputy-minister banned this activity "Gheorghe Postica has a house in Butuceni.  He saw that I wanted to install a greenhouse and forbade me He said that it was not possible as this was a specially protected area of the state I do not know what to do with this land," said the young man Gheorghe Postica confirmed to us that certain economic activities are banned in this region "The area is under special protection of the state A special commission will come in August and will decide on   including the museum Complex Old Orhei in UNESCO patrimony I will do my best to preserve this historical heritage intact I actually bought it for the national Center of Archaeology This investigation is carried out within the Project „Shining a Light on Corruption in Moldova” carried by the Center for investigative Journalism and Freedom House with the financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs GEORGIA: puppeteers and сlowns controlled by the Kremlin From the "success story" of the Eastern Partnership Georgia, a former Soviet republic in the Caucasus has significantly regressed over the last decade sliding towards authoritarianism under Russia’s strong influence while the press and civil society are rapidly losing freedoms Russia's influence and interference in Georgia are not new but long-standing and two important regions—South Ossetia and Abkhazia—occupied Disadvantaged geographically and politically due to its vast border with Russia and its distance from the European Union ECOCIDE in Ukraine - 3: Time bomb for Moldova ECOCIDE: Animals and birds of Europe - targeted by Russian war criminals War in Ukraine - an environmental time bomb One is directed against the Ukrainian people Every day there are new sad reports about how the Russian military is destroying the Ukrainian environment with highly toxic weapons In some cities that were bombed more intensely air and soil toxicity reached critical levels The deep and long-term consequences of the war on the quality of air soil and water in Ukraine are no longer questioned Since the beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine environmentalists and activists tracking the impact of Meta and mega-propagandistic games on Facebook hundreds of thousands of people from the Republic of Moldova are assaulted by messages promoted with money these messages represent direct calls for protests or actions of blame against the pro-Western government or President Maia Sandu Some posts are only removed after the American company Meta so the information manages to reach a lot of people the loophole through which agents of destabilization successfully slip is a technical one namely - problems in moderating content in languages other May 15 - Oscar Restaurant: It was at this upscale restaurant that former Minister of the Interior and activist Maxim Moroșan chose to celebrate Family Day with whom he carries out what he calls charitable actions there are distinct indications that campaigns under the guise of "universal good" carry a strong ideological undertone.​ They range from promoting the "Saint George" ribbon to derogatory messages directed at those advocating for closer ties with the European Union The "Brainwashing" of Gagauzia: Who Is Protecting Russian Propaganda Channels In the Gagauz Autonomous Region of the Republic of Moldova cable television operators rebroadcast Russian TV stations without hindrance These stations broadcast political programs and aggressive propaganda news despite the prohibition of programs that incite hatred The Commission for Exceptional Situations made the initial decision to prohibit these programs in March 2022 and later a law was passed by the Parliament in June of the previous year Both the TV distributors and the officials of the autonomy defy national regulations they invoke local "specificity." Meanwhile the residents of UTA Gagauz Yeri are daily the residents of the Gagauz Autonomy find it difficult to recognize that the aggressor is the Russian Federation itself despite being clearly against any aggression  The "Russian world" has and continues to have a strong influence in the region and most opinion and political leaders do not hide their "dangerous connections" with the Kremlin administration Russia appears as a guarantor of social good and a secure future in the rhetoric of the aspirants to the bashkan's chair "Matryoshkas" of Russian propaganda in the Republic of Moldova: puppets and puppeteers More than one billion Russian rubles are spent annually by the Russian Federation solely from official sources for the activities of the "Russkii mir" Foundation This foundation serves as a command and control center for a network of subsidiary organizations worldwide Figures dedicated to Russian propaganda and high-ranking officials who have previously acted as active agents of Russian interests in Moldovan space are listed as founders of the non-profit organization The foundation receives support from the federal budget and secret donations The "Russian world" mimics cultural dialogue through science and culture centers in THE "NINE LIVES" OF TV CHANNELS OF SHOR AND PSRM PARTIES Three of the six TV channels whose licenses were suspended by the Commission for Emergency Situations (CSE) for airing incorrect information about national events and the war in Ukraine along with their teams and editorial policy for which they were charged Patrons generously opened their accounts and heavily funded the promotion of the new locations and identities closed by the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) Information warfare in Moldova: agents and modus operandi Nobody’s Romani: Life Stories from a World of Cross-Border Begging Four employees of the State Enterprise Posta Moldovei died in January 2018 in a terrible road accident in Rascani district The severe accident left four grieving families and a fatherless child under three the work accident reached the court and it was found the employer’s fault the families of the four victims are still waiting for the state to pay them the necessary compensation The case of the Post of Moldova is one of the few that FRONTLINE DOCTORS: Who defends their rights Moldova/Transnistria: Pandemic brinkmanship brings strife to ‘Security Zone’ The war after the war: Georgia and Moldova Georgia and Moldova both have in common hospitality good wine and deep wounds in the history of the last quarter century of their countries self-proclaimed entities appeared: Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia and Transnistria in Moldova All 3 separatist regions continue to be backed illegally by the Russian Federation A team of journalists from Georgia and Moldova tried to find The myth of water quality in the Dniester River Favouring Russian televisions at the expense of Romanian ones has negatively influenced the domestic politics and the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova over the years From the 90s to the present the Moldovan authorities have shown a total openness towards the Moscow press accepting it as a dominant investor on the Moldovan media market thus keeping the population under the influence of policies promoted by the Russian Federation promotes a hostile rhetoric towards the European Union and NATO and a truncated vision of the internal and foreign events Kindergartens in a web of extortions and corruption How Ukrainians "force” the door to West by faking Moldovan passports The economic crisis in Moldova and Ukraine on one hand and the salaries offered by the European market on the other hand are the main reasons for which people go abroad.  The gate was opened to the west for Moldovans who regained Romanian citizenship and then benefited from a liberalized visa regime Ukrainians use different schemes to obtain Moldovan passports that would help them to reach the EU Some of them resort to falsification of documents from archives to certify the bessarabian origin of the applicants “Hooliganism” – the cudgel in prosecutors’ hands or how to prove you haven’t been “extremely naughty” EUROPA PENTRU TINE!Află despre beneficiile și oportunitățile oferite Republicii Moldova de Uniunea Europeană Six municipalities from Moldova during 2021-2027 will be turned into developed regional centres in Moldova the government approved a national programme on development of cities poles of the municipalities Cahul The programme’s goal is to create in Moldova a network of attractive cities poles of regional growth for residents This fact will generate the enhancement of the labour force employment and will stimulate the development of rural zones in the neighbourhood of these cities The programme provides for implementation of a portfolio of projects which reflect the individual priorities specific for each city They will be determined based on the assessment of the needs for strengthening the potential of cities poles of regional growth The projects will aim at rehabilitating the roads’ infrastructure developing the infrastructure of public spaces As much as 822 million lei will be allocated from the state budget or 30 per cent from the programme’s cost of which 816 million lei will be distributed for implementing priority projects in the beneficiary cities and 6 million lei – for activities of monitoring and consolidation of local public authorities’ capacities The programme includes a framework action plan based on which the beneficiary cities are to work out an operational plan on the programme’s implementation at the level of each city pole of growth the cabinet today approved a draft law on local actions groups The initiative is aimed at creating the legal framework for the creation and functioning of Local Action Groups as legal entity The project provides for the creation of the LEADER State Programme financed from public sources worth up to 5 per cent of the National Fund for Development of Agriculture and Rural Environment the Local Action Groups are not registered as legal entities over the lack of regulation of this special form of organization within the national legal framework All materials featured on this site are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) Technical-technological administration: Information Technology and Cyber Security Service.