Financial irregularities identified at Academy of Sciences' History Institute

The former acting head of the Institute of History, State and Law of the Academy of Sciences Sergiu Musteata said he resigned two months after appointed as he discovered financial irregularities at the institution, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conference on June 7, Sergiu Musteata said that after he was named acting head he launched investigations and established that some of the employees, including the accountant, had different salary bonuses, allowances and prizes and their salaries were by even 250% larger than the official ones. The related orders were made by the accounting office. The Institute's chief accountant has a salary of 73,000 lei a year, but he receives awards of 14,000 lei, financial assistance of 15,000 lei and different allowances of 28,000 lei at a time when the salary of a young researcher is 30,000 lei a year. “I had to inform the administration of the Academy about those irregularities. I asked the Academy's president Gheorghe Duca to set up a working group for an internal audit. I decided to quit as I cannot head an institution whose staff does not want the irregularities to be removed,” Sergiu Musteata said, adding that Gheorghe Duca made an ordinance to create that working group. He also informed the Audit Office and the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime about the identified irregularities. The historian said he resigned from the post of chairman of the Association of Historians of Moldova because some of his colleagues, especially from the previous administration, did not submit the necessary documents to the Ministry of Justice and the fiscal bodies. “I don't want to answer for their illegal acts,” he said. Sergiu Musteata stressed he does know what he will do next, but does not exclude that he could return to the university.