After the planned Budget adjustments, salaries and pensions will be further paid in full and on time, promised Finance Minister Natalia Gavrilița. When Natalia Gavrilița took over the job, the 2019 Budget was already 4 billion lei into the red. “In addition to tax revenue, the 2019 Budget also counted on 1.2 billion lei in funding that was supposed to be granted by the EU but which got frozen eventually. Moreover, the Salary Law was adopted by the previous government already after the Budget planning process was completed, and this has generated an additional deficit of 1 billion lei.”

Two former judges and a current judge complained they were intimidated by their superiors because they refused to obey the instruction and pass illegal judgments. These are ex-judges Domnica Manole and Ludmila Ouș of the Chisinau City Appeals Court and judge of inquiry of the Ciocana branch of the Chisinau City Court Mihai Murguleț. According to Domnica Manole, the judges in Moldova do not have where to seek justice as the Superior Council of Magistracy turned into a body that exerts pressure on judges. Furthermore, the judicial inspection obeys the Council, as do the Assessment Board and the Disciplinary Board. The moderators of the program said more judges who will make revelations about the situation created in the judicial system will be invited to the talk show.

The resignation tendered by Eduard Harunjen from the post of prosecutor general does not solve the problems of the Prosecutor General’s Office, but is logical given the events of the past few weeks, stated political commentator Corneliu Ciurea. “What the current alliance could do rather swiftly is to remove the key figures from the top. However, as many representatives of civil society said, if you remove people from the top it does not mean that you changed the system. Here, the political will of the Bloc ACUM and of the Socialists is confronted by the system of prosecutors that is considered bad by some and just an ordinary system by others,” said the commentator.

The Democracy at Home Party and the Green Party are asking the parliamentary majority to conduct public debates for devising a voting system that “gives a fair chance to everybody.” Democracy at Home leader Vasile Costiuc told a press conference that public debates are needed to see if the mixed system was good or bad for Moldova, and how it could be improved if it is going to the kept. “We don’t argue for a system or another. We just want an electoral system that gives a fair chance to everybody,” declared Costiuc. He also voiced discontent at how frequently the electoral law is changed to suit the interests of those in government.

Three members of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC), Dinari Cojocaru, Igor Călin and Vasilii Chirtoca, explained why they voted for the dismissal of Ruslan Codreanu as acting mayor of the capital city. Head of the Socialist group on the CMC Dinari Cojocaru said an acting mayor from legal viewpoint cannot hold this post for over six months. From financial viewpoint, there were many projects that exceeded the agreed budget for several times. Even if the CMC adopted a number of decisions, these weren’t implemented by the former acting mayor. “Moreover, the municipal divisions and services that were under the patronage of Mister Codreanu often worked against the Municipal Council,” he stated.

Prime Minister Maia Sandu, in the meeting held in Kiev with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, conferred on the regional security and European integration as a common goal of the two countries. In her speech, Premier Sandu noted that Moldova perceives the strategic partnership with Ukraine as an important pillar of national security. “The European integration and the implementation of the  Association Agreement are objectives that we share with Ukraine. We want closer cooperation with Ukraine in the economic and energy sectors. We will try to establish permanent and fully functional control over the common borders. We need a solid partnership to improve the ecological situation of the Nistru River. I’m convinced that we can find favorable solutions for our citizens and agree a common European agenda,” stated the Premier.

The president of the Our Party Renato Usatyi said he has the full version of the Second Kroll Report, including the second and third parts. Asked where he got the report from, the politician said that in the discussions he had with people, someone gave him a memory stick that contained this report. He noted there are many names that he does not know. Among those he knows are Plahotniuc, Filat, Shor, Yaralov. The others are company directors. The name Grecheanyi is not indicated there. The beneficiaries of the theft from the three banks are directly or indirectly connected with Plahotniuc. The chairman of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the bank fraud Alexandru Slusari said he respectfully asked Renato Usatyi to furnish the commission with the information he possesses, but Usatyi chose to stage a show and probably pursues political goals.

Details on IPN