The Chisinau Arena Complex that was to be put into operation in October 2019 is close to completion. Representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure said the private partner is dealing with the inconsistencies identified by the acceptance commission. For this to be opened, the state must ensure it is connected to the access ways, IPN reports.

In parliamentary hearings on March 12, Mihail Lupașcu, secretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, noted the project implementation partner reported a 98% completion level. The acceptance commission, after the works were finished, held four meetings. Now the private partner is removing the discrepancies related to the leaks from the roof, the leaking pool and the windows that need to be replaced. The internal and external piping systems are functional.

If the access ways are not ensured, the complex cannot be put into operation even after the identified inconsistencies are removed. A sum of €2.5 million is needed to build the access ways. The necessary allocations were already released from the state budget.

The Chisinau Arena project was launched by the Democratic Party in March 2018. The multifunctional arena with a seating capacity of 5,000 was to become operative in October 2019, but the deadline was then extended to April-May 2020.

At the start of October 2019, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office said it opened investigations into alleged illegalities in the implementation of the public-private partnership project to design and build the Chisinau Arena in Stăuceni commune of the municipality of Chisinau. Later, MP Alexandru Slusari published an informative note of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, which says that the illegalities were planned in 2017 by a group of politicians, functionaries and private individuals. Initially, it was established that the exaggerated price of the project was decided without an economic-financial estimate. Besides the 10 ha on which the Arena was erected, the suspects withdrew almost 60 in Stăuceni from the agricultural circuit, pledging this land to the Turkish building company with the possibility of re-pledging.