Head of CMC General Social Assistance Division does not conform to Chisinau mayor’s ordinance to resign

Eugenia Ceban, head of the General Social Assistance Division of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) did not conform to the decision of the general mayor to resign and contested it in court. In a previous suit, the court restored Eugenia Ceban to her position. Councillor Oleg Oniscenco, member of the Humanist-Democratic faction, accused the mayor at a recent CMC sitting of exceeding his authority when requesting Eugenia Ceban’s dismissal. In compliance with the Law on the status of local elected officials, only the CMC, which has approved Ceban’s employment, can dismiss her. According to Oniscenco, the court took into account these legal stipulations when it ordered the mayor to restore Eugenia Ceban to her position. Dorin Chirtoaca refuted the charges, saying that the Law on local public administration, which is a newer one than the Law invoked by councillor Oleg Oniscenco, stipulates among the mayor’s main tasks the appointment, setting up of tasks and dismissal of heads of subdivisions, services and subordinated municipal enterprises. As a result, the earlier prerogatives of the CMC in this regard are taken over by the mayor. “Regardless of who made the appointments earlier, now the mayor is in charge with the dismissals and appointments,” Dorin Chirtoaca stressed. The court decision to restore Eugenia Ceban to her position is now examined by the Supreme Court of Justice following an application lodged by the Chisinau City Hall. Ceban opposes the decision of the mayor and accuses him of inventing all kind of reasons with the aim of removing her from the municipal services. During the recent meetings of the CMC, some of the municipal councillors accused the mayor of firing people in accordance with the political interests of the party he represents and of covering internal corruption acts. The councillors argued that Eugenia Ceban was dismissed only because she did not allow her subordinates to steal. The mayor stated that after Eugenia Ceban was reinstated to the post under the court decision, the situation in the division continued to be tense and many employees submitted complaints about her inadequate behaviour. The first time, Eugenia Ceban was dismissed from post because she discriminated between the division’s employees and sanctioned them tendentiously without taking into account the relevant legal procedure – she did not ask for explanations before sanctioning, did not fix the violations in reports etc.