The president of the National Integrity Authority (NIA) said that she does not have reasons to tender her resignation even if she is investigated as s suspect in a criminal case. Rodica Antoci said that under her management, the institution became fully functional and sent high-profile cases of unjust enrichment and confiscation of property to the responsible bodies. She noted she is ready to report to Parliament, but does not intend to quit, IPN reports.
Rodica Antoci said the scandal featuring her and the searches carried out at her home will not make her give up her job. She noted she is proud of the results of her work as the institution is now trusted by the country’s development partners.
“Why should I resign? For fulfilling my duties? For developing during these four years an institution that wasn’t initially wanted by those from the Republic of Moldova? This institution became functional and the Republic of Moldova managed to do the homework assigned by the development partners and a lot of support was offered to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. I’m an institution manager. If there are objections to my work, I’m ready to go to Parliament and to the President of the Republic of Moldova to report,” Rodica Antoci stated in the talk show “The Fourth Estate” on N4 TV channel.
She denied the accusations of abuse of office, saying she will prove her innocence in court. She said she worked transparently, including when public procurement procedures were performed, and the audit reports confirmed this.
“I didn’t commit violations. I’m used to attacks and pressure. But it is harder for me as a mother because my two children were at home during searches as it was morning. They started criminal and civil cases against me. I’m ready to cooperate and transmitted to them what was necessary. If they needed documents in the original, they should know that I do not keep them at home. I keep them in the NIA’s archive,” stated Rodica Antoci.
According to prosecutors, the president and an employee of NIA caused 126,000 lei damage to the institution by paying for services to paint cars (29,000 lei) even if the contract signed by the Authority and the company didn’t envision such services, and by buying doors for the institution through a dubious transaction (97,000 lei).
