Oleg Poiata was discharged from the post of head of Centru district of Chisinau by the votes of 27 councilors of the Municipal Council on February 11. The General Trade Division’s head Marcel Zambitski and the acting director of the Central Market Veaceslav Balan were reprimanded. The decisions were taken following hearings on the gas cylinder explosion that occurred in a café located near the Central Market on January 9, IPN reports.

According to the dismissal decision, proposed by 26 councilors, Oleg Poiata is fired for professional misconduct and negligence. The decision was voted by 19 councilors of the Party of Socialists, five councilors of the European People’s Party, two Communist councilors and one councilor of the “Our Party”. A councilor of the Liberal Democratic Party, a Communist councilor and independent Ion Stefanita refrained, while the Liberal group left the meeting at its beginning.

The councilors questioned a number of functionaries of subdivisions and asked for reports from the Emergencies Division, Health Division and other divisions. They also requested that the mayor general should to present an extensive report on the gas cylinder blast and the measures taken in this case within 30 days.

About 20 persons suffered injuries in the January 9 gas cylinder explosion, with 13 persons being hospitalized in a serious and critical state. Four of these died later. The owners of the café were remanded in custody.