“I’m not a decision maker in the commission responsible for the land auctions organized by the municipal authorities,” said Chisinau councilor Corneliu Pantea, who was accused by an NGO of taking large sums of money for influencing the sale of municipal plots. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, Corneliu Pantea said the accusations made by the public anticorruption committee of the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights “Adjuta Cives” are groundless and illogical. According to him, all the land auctions are outcry auctions and cannot be influenced by somebody. ”I do not form part of the auction commission and cannot influence its decisions. When you make a statement and accuse somebody, you should analyze things first. How can a company offer bribe to be favored if they offer more money at the auction in order to win?” said Corneliu Pantea, who represents the Liberal Party in the Chisinau Council. He also said that he was sure a colleague from the Council with whom he is now in litigation over defamation was behind those accusations. “It became a tradition to accuse me of everything bad that happens at the City Hall. If I was guilty, I wound’s talk with the journalists now, but with the police,” Corneliu Pantea said. He added that all these gestures show the local elections are approaching and those who remained without a boat are trying to catch one. Earlier, unaffiliated councilor Oleg Cernei accused Corneliu Pantea of taking €7,000 for facilitating the sale of a plot located on Calea Orheiului St in Chisinau.