The municipality of Balti has over 1,400 hectares of land recorded in its accounting, valued at around 3 billion lei, but the property rights are only registered for about 860 hectares. At the same time, the local authorities do not have a complete record of the patrimony, and some lands are undervalued by over 19 million lei. These findings are contained in the Court of Accounts’ report on the financial audit of the municipality for the year 2025, reports IPN.

The auditors identified issues also with the record of assets transferred to the management of enterprises and municipal institutions, valued at over 911 million lei. Additionally, public infrastructure worth nearly 186 million lei was incorrectly recorded, and for fixed assets of about 233 million lei, depreciation was not calculated for the period 2017-2025.

Representatives of the Balti City Hall have stated that the municipality will inventory its assets and take measures for their registration. However, the Court of Accounts has warned that similar problems recur and require an approach at the level of the entire municipal heritage.

The audit revealed deficiencies in public procurement as well. In one case, similar services worth 895 thousand lei were contracted on the same day through seven small-value contracts, which presents a risk of dividing the acquisition. For other works and services worth over 55 million lei, the City Hall would not have sufficiently justified their necessity.

In the case of some road maintenance contracts, auditors found that only 42 out of the initially planned 289 types of works were carried out. Moreover, in another case, asphalt works were paid at a higher price than the one stipulated in the contract, generating additional payments of approximately 136 thousand lei. The city hall maintains that the difference was caused by the application of a thicker layer of asphalt.

The Court of Auditors also noted the lack of sufficient mechanisms for monitoring the wastewater treatment system concession contract. According to the audit, the confirmed investments for the verified period were approximately 31.3 million lei less than anticipated. The City Hall states that it is discussing with the private partner the return of the sewerage service to the municipality’s management.

Uncertainties were also found in the case of a debt of approximately 32 million lei for the accommodation of refugees at the Balti Hotel. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection maintains that some expenses were not eligible or did not have supporting documents, while the City Hall says it is trying to clarify the situation.

Following the audit, the Court of Auditors issued an adverse opinion on the financial reports of the city of Balti, noting that the identified issues affect the evidence of assets, expenditures, and the organization of accounting.