The former acting director of the Chisinau Central Market Lilia Buștiuc said her dismissal is incorrect and has nothing to do with her professional abilities. She was fired because she waged war on the illegal schemes employed at the enterprise. In a news conference at IPN, Lilia Buștiuc said that when she took up her duties, she carried out an audit that unidentified a number of irregularities. The information was presented to acting mayor Ruslan Codreanu, who was also informed that she cannot transfer money to the City Hall’s accounts to clear debts deriving from fines.

“At the start of 2019, the debt was 65 million lei. During the two months as director of the enterprise, I managed to collect over 20 million lei revenues from deposits and other activities so that the debt is now of 40 million lei,” stated Lilia Buștiuc.

She noted that while managing the Central Market, she brought benefits of 1 million lei to the enterprise. She was dismissed following unfounded accusations made against her. “I will have to sue Mister Ruslan Codreanu, acting mayor general, for the publicly made assertions that seriously affected my professional reputation,” stated Lilia Buștiuc.

As regards Viorel Braga, who was named director of the Central Market recently, Lilia Buștiuc said this also risks leaving with his reputation damaged. “He does not realize that he will also be used for a period of three months to hush up the irregularities and crimes committed at the Central Market,” she said.

In the same news conference, Valentin Dvornic, who heads the trade union of the Central Market, said over 280 employees will sign and file an application to the Chisinau City Hall and the Municipal Council to find out why the entire staff was discredit by the dismissal of Lilia Buștiuc. By putting their signatures, the enterprise’s employees give support to Lilia Buștiuc.

Oleg Pascal, vice president of the trade union committee of the Central Market, stated that after taking up, Lilia Buștiuc managed to unite the enterprise’s employees. “Now the staff is indignant not only at the dismissal of the director, but also at the way in which the dismissal decision was taken – without an internal inquiry, without the decisions of other institutions, only at the request of some of the economic entities,” stated Oleg Pascal, adding the trade union he represents demands to annul the decision to fire Lilia Buștiuc.

Valeria Tricolici, president of the Consumption Cooperation, Trade and Entrepreneurship Trade Unions Federation, said the Federation supports the employees of the Central Market and considers that the right to work of Lilia Buștiuc was violated by the dismissal decision.

On June 21, acting mayor Ruslan Codreanu announced the dismissal of the acting director of the Central Market in only about three months of her appointment, invoking complaints from traders who said that exorbitant taxes for being able to sell at the market continue to be levied from them.