The privatization of the state-owned airline Air Moldova was performed in a rather doubtful way. The real owners who took over the company are from among the ranks of the current government and this company could be not the last one privatized in suspicious conditions, said Socialist and Liberal-Democratic MPs. The representatives of the Democratic Party said yet the conceding of the company was dictated by the debts this accumulated in a rather short period of time. The issue was developed in the talk show “In Depth” on ProTV Chisinau channel, IPN reports.
Democratic Party vice president Vladimir Cebotari said they have spoken about the privatization of Air Moldova since 2008. This company accumulated debts in a rather short period of time and had to be conceded. “Being a state-run company and being close to winter, when the revenues decrease considerably and the overdue bills from summer come after you, there was a very big risk that the company would have cancelled particular services and would have thus been in default,” he stated.
As to the debts accumulated in the accounts of Air Moldova, Vladimir Cebotari said such a situation was reached due to the defective flight operation policy. As regards the new owners, the politician said the Romanian company Blue Air owns a majority holding of 49%, while the two Moldovan citizens have by a smaller stake separately.
Socialist MP Vladimir Țurcanu said this affair with the privatization of the airline is dubious and he is sure that the real owners of the company are actually other persons. “The real owners are from here, from Moldova. These are those who initiated the process. I think we should look for them among those who are now in power,” he stated, adding the fact that Parliament rejected the Socialist MPs’ request to hold hearings on the privatization proves that the truth is hidden by the government.
Liberal-Democratic MP Grigore Cobzac said none of the serious investors would come to Moldova as long as the state institutions, in particular those from the justice sector, are nonfunctional. “We were witness to the privatization of Air Moldova and we all say there was something suspicious, but I think we will yet see worse things if these persons remain in power. They will privatize Moldtelecom and the other enterprises,” stated the MP.
