Chisinau City Hall alarmed by cases of bribery

A case where a Chisinau City Hall employee reportedly asked 3,200 euros in exchange for some construction certificates stirred strong discontent at today's City Hall meeting. Officials however declared themselves unable to punish the bribe solicitor, because no name was reported. “I tried to find out at least which kind of certificate it was: whether a planning certificate or a construction authorities, or something else, and I couldn't find any trace”, says deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu. According to the municipal authorities, the people who report such cases are very reluctant to give names. “Bribery is not a new thing for the capital city or for the republic”, says mayor Dorin Chirtoaca. “But this situation is putting a stain on the reputation of the local authorities. I urge the people affected by this vice to give concrete names so that we could take proper measures. Otherwise we're fighting windmills. Also, any citizen can request any document from the City Hall at the special desks, without any intermediary”, suggested the mayor. Schools are confronted with a similar situation. From 2009 there were investigated over 80 cases of bribe soliciting and 30 persons in charge were punished. But in some establishments bribery cases repeated, demonstrating that the sanctions had been too mild. The mayor demanded that the directors and accountants of schools whose guilt is demonstrated be fired, because sanctions like public reprimand do not work. Tatiana Nagnibeda-Tverdohleb, the head of the municipal education department, said it is very difficult to control the activity of the parents' associations, which collect money from parents for various things. At the same time, the department issued an ordinance banning teachers from raising money from the parents for any purpose. “I see no reason for the further existence of the parents' associations, bcause we cannot control whether the parents donate the money voluntarily or not”, she says, adding that the parents, too, are very reluctant to reveal the names of the teacers who solicit bribes.