Persons working in the quality infrastructure sector in Moldova worked out an elaborate scheme to illegally use the US$5 million that remained from a loan and grant provided by the World Bank, the former director of the National Metrology and Standardization Institute Igor Caldare said in news conference. He warned the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime about a possible large-scale fraud, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Caldare, the scheme consists in the utilization of non-transparent and non-justified procedures in purchasing equipment for the metrology and testing laboratories of the National Metrology and Standardization Institute with the money given by the World Bank several years ago for a quality infrastructure project. More than US$8 million of the loan and grant of US$14.3 million has been used meanwhile. Igor Caldare said the US$5 million that remained will go to buy metrology equipment and could be used in illegal schemes involving administrative resources. The schemes imply influence peddling and conflicts of interests between private companies and state-run enterprises. The new administration of the National Metrology and Standardization Institute owns a metrology equipment selling company that may be used in the planned swindles as it will enjoy advantages in the process of purchasing equipment with the US$5 million, Caldare said. Ion Caldare also said that the new administration marginalized some of the metrologists and re-employed discredited persons by using different schemes. He stressed it is unacceptable that a limited liability company prepares the terms of supply for the Institute. According to the former director of the Institute, the new Government allows persons holding responsible positions to get involved in fraudulent schemes and will be sanctioned for this at the early elections. Cladare said that the Communist Government had a similar behavior as it did not want to stop the frauds and favored the participants in different illegal schemes. Victor Neagu, PR coordinator for the World Bank Office in Moldova, stated for Info-Prim Neo that the WB treats very seriously the complaints about the purchases made and auctions held that it receives from companies and carries out assessments and investigations. In 2008 for example, the World Bank annulled its decision to finance a road infrastructure project after identifying irregularities in the procurement process. Victor Negu also said that Igor Caldare's assertion will be examined and the World Bank will pronounce on this subject.