The National Participation Council (NPC) and the National NGO Council of Moldova allotted black balls to the MPs for passing, in the last sitting of the Parliament’s spring – summer session, bills that, according to civil society representatives, caused damage of millions of lei to the budget, IPN reports.

National NGO Council secretary general Antonita Fonari, who is the deputy chairwoman of the National Participation Council, in a news conference at IPN said that Parliament showed preferential treatment when it exempted the Comrat Orthodox Parish “The Transfiguration of Jesus” from paying the tax for using an agricultural plot as ordinary plot on which to erect a church. According to Antonita Fonari, damage of half a million lei was caused to the state budget by this bill at a time when this money could have been invested in projects with much greater benefits for society. These acts are determined by the authorities’ wish to strengthen the political power and electoral support through the agency of the supporters of the Moldovan Orthodox Church and of the extended network of parishes subordinated to it.

NPC Board member Adrian Lupusor, of the think tank “Expert-Grup”, said that abuses were also committed when adopting a bill allowing SRL “Glorinal” not to pay taxes. The given bill runs counter to the Law on the Budgetary System and the Budgetary Process and to the Tax Code. It was proposed after the annual budgets were agreed, without indicating an additional source of financing. The implementation of this law may lead to a rise in the budgetary deficit or to a decrease in the allocations for other budgetary categories.

This way, the legislative body treated preferentially a company from the construction sector. This is against the legislation on competition and disadvantages other companies working in this sector. The damage caused by this bill was estimated at 12 million lei.

NPC chairman Sergiu Ostaf, who heads the Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO), said the dismissal of Victor Parlicov from the post of National Agency for Energy Regulation director general was illegal. According to Ostaf, this post is held for life and Parlicov’s dismissal wasn’t based on the Law on Energy. The deputy chairman of the Audit Office Tudor Soitu was also discharged illegally as the arguments in favor of his dismissal are not supported by the legislation.

NPC Board member Alecu Renita, chairman of the Ecologist Movement, said the Law on the Internal Naval Transport will transform the Nistru and Prut Rivers into real sand quarries, while those who voted this bill and those who pursue certain goals will launder millions of lei by selling sand.

The representatives of civil society called on all the MPs who abstained from voting these documents to challenge them.