Memorial complex “Military Glory” was reconstructed illegally and seven times quicker than usual

The Chisinau-based memorial complex “Military Glory” was renovated with serious deviations from the legislation, illegally and seven times quicker than normal. These are the findings of the Audit Office (AO) and of the former interim head of the municipal Construction Division Ion Dermenji. The AO’s report will be discussed at the meeting of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) on November 22. In an informative note attached to the draft decision of the CMC, Ion Dermengi explains that the illegalities were committed following an order made by the hierarchically superior bodies in August 2005, which demanded that the memorial be reconstructed by May 1, 2006. According to him, the central authorities decided that “Military Glory” should be renovated simultaneously with the formulation of the project documentation and expenditure estimate, while the relevant authorization was issued by the Agency for Constriction and Territorial Development. Under the present norms, the project documentation and expenditure estimate for such an object are prepared within five-six months, while the reconstruction takes 18-24 months. In reality, the designing and renovation works lasted for four months, the former interim head said. The Audit Office says that the public tender contest for selecting the first contractor “Moldconstruct-Market” was organized in the absence of project documentation and of the expenditure estimate. The Construction Division did not ask the applicant to provide a good execution guarantee while singing the contract for carrying out the works. The guarantee worth 5-15% of the contract’s value would have been a proof for the investor that the works would be of the required quality and would be carried out in due time. After the applicant withdrew the offer, a second contest was not held and the SA “Stone Gallery”, whose offer was not considered important during the contest, was selected as contractor. The Audit Office says that the Agency for Construction and Territorial Development coordinated the simultaneous execution of the reconstruction works and the preparation of the project documentation. But this runs counter to the stipulations of the law on quality in construction, according to which the construction works are carried out only under a project. During the reconstruction process, the Institute “Chisinauproiect” presented six draft projects on the execution of works. Each time, it tabled general expenditure estimates worth 34.5 mln lei, 57.4 mln lei, 57.7 mln lei, 52.9 mln lei, and 41.5 mln lei. The last estimate presented on April 5, 2007 included 34.8 mln lei. Ion Dermengi does not agree with such an estimate, saying that works worth 11 mln lei were excluded without reason. Another illegality is the fact that the reconstruction project has not been yet approved by the local public authorities. Also, the paving slabs of concrete and the mixture of sand and concrete from the substratum do not met the quality standards, while the cost of the slabs for pavements is by 1.7 mln lei higher that the one indicated in the last expenditure estimate. According to the report on the works carried out and services provided, in 2006 the beneficiary included additional expenses of 11.56 mln lei, sum that was not envisioned in the budget and contract signed with the contractor. The inventorying of the granite pieces revealed the absence of granite objects worth over 60,000 lei. Before restoration, the memorial complex “Eternity” had been administered neither by the Chisinau City Hall, nor by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism or by the Defence Ministry, but the goods that remained after demolition were taken over by the Ministry of Defence and by the Construction Division of the City Hall for free. The memorial was not assessed by a special commission before the reconstruction works started. The draft CMC decision says that the findings of the Audit Office as well as the fact that Tudor Gnaciuc was dismissed from the post of interim head of the Construction Division by an order issued by the interim mayor general of Chisinau on March 28, 2007 must be taken into account. The Construction Division will be obliged to inform CMC of the measures taken to remove the shortcomings and rejects identified during checks on the memorial etc.