Ex-mayor says he did not exceed authority in EPA MEDIA case

Former interim general mayor of Chisinau, Vasile Ursu, rejects the allegations made by the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC), saying Ursu exceeded his authority by signing the contract with “EPA MEDIA” company. He says he had every right to sign such a contract, moreover – “he has responses from the Public Procurement Agency and Prosecutor’s Office, confirming the legality of this contract”. Chisinau General Mayor has never been subordinated to CMC, Ursu said, mentioning that the mayor has the authority to sign such contracts. He says those to blame for this conflict are “the Mafia from the City Architecture Division and certain councillors interested in having free advertising in Chisinau.” He states that the money coming from advertising is rather pocketed by some civil servants than directed to the municipal budget. In the context, the ex-mayor motioned that “EPA MEDIA” has already paid MDL 7 mln for building omnibus stations, of which 1.2 mln lei have already been transferred to the local budget as VAT. At the same time, Ursu says, the advertising in the city brings incomes as little as MDL 900,000 in the local budget. The ex-mayor is sure that this contract will not be denounced, but some of its provisions will be revised. Otherwise, investors will no longer come to Chisinau because of the CMC’s attitude towards the inflow of investments into the country. On March 20, the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) rejected the contract signed between the Chisinau City Hall and the Austria-based “EPA MEDIA” Company under a public-private partnership designated to build and illuminate omnibus stops, with the right for the contractor to post outdoor advertising. The project was rejected by the majority of municipal councillors. Also, the councillors mentioned that Ursu had no right to sign this contract without the CMC’s consent, as the allotment of the land for building bus stops are reserved to the competence of the CMC and not of the City Hall. Moreover, they say, the councillors did not entrust Ursu to sign this contract. Earlier, the Advertisement Agencies Association of Moldova (AAPM) urges the Chisinau City Hall to cancel the contract with “EPA MEDIA” firm, stating that this contract might corner the entire outdoor advertisement industry in the capital. Advertisement agencies were indignant at the fact that they did not receive any invitation to participate in the tender, except for a formal one on the last day of the contest.