The State Guard Division during 2003-2009 purchased goods to the value of 12.2 million lei and transmitted them to the Ministry of the Interior and its subdivisions, violating the budgetary-financial norms, says the audit report on the legality of certain financial transactions and operations and the management of the public property of the Ministry and its subdivisions, Info-Prim Neo reports. The report was rendered at the January 26 meeting of the Audit Office in the presence of the press. Ana Ghiletski, senior state inspector and public auditor, said the examination of the financial transactions and operations carried out at the Ministry of the Interior showed the financial management was incorrect and arbitrary. Purchases for the Ministry were made before money was allocated from the budget. There had been held several tender contests for the same object and the offers were selected not according to the lowest price offered. For example, in 2007 the Ministry's procurement group bought a Mercedes ambulance from SRL Decebal Impex for 4.21 million lei. This price is by 544,000 lei higher than that offered by the official dealer of the producer. The dealer's offer was rejected for the reason that it did not present the import license, but it was not given time to present it. The 1.3 million lei provided by the Council of Europe and the Association of European Police Colleges was misused through the agency of IS Tehnosec. Also, the Ministry used public money and property to meet the needs of the Communists Party (PCRM), such as leasing of rooms at the sanatorium-hospital “Constructorul” and cars for the Communist parliamentary group. A sum of 838,000 lei was used for the purposes. Valentina Madan, public auditor and division head at the Audit Office, said the audit authority identified similar violations during 2003 -2005. The Office presented its conclusions, but no measures were taken to remove the illegalities and the unpunished violations generated new ones. The Audit Office's report will be published on the institution's website www.ccrm.md in 30 days. The collected materials will be submitted to the Prosecutor's Office. Attending the meeting, Minister of the Interior Victor Catan (former Minister Gheorghe Papuc was also invited, but did not come) said the Ministry has undergone changes that will enable to prevent violations. The composition of the commission for organizing public tender contests was modified. The Ministry proposed a number of amendments to the legislation, especially as regards the use of extra-budgetary resources. An independent internal audit division was set up at the Ministry to monitor how the public money is used.