Trade Union Confederation head denies accusations and threatens with legal action

The National Confederation of Trade Unions is selling the property administered by it in order to reinvigorate the financial system of the trade unions and cover the sustained losses, which are assessed at 5 million lei a year, the organization's head Oleg Budza said in a news conference on Wednesday, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. Oleg Budza said the accusations made recently against the administration of the Confederation are groundless as it did not sell property illegally. According to him, the pension Flora, the sports complex Yunosti and the hotel Turist were unprofitable and brought considerable losses and were sold in accordance with the law. Budza also said that a number of irregularities were discovered at institutions administered by the Confederation during inspections. They included the unjustified allocation of money for maintenance and sale of tickets without recording the amounts in the cash register. The head of the National Confederation of Trade Unions denies that the three facilities have been bought by one legal entity. He said the hotel Turist was purchased by a company based in the UK, while the other two facilities by two firms operating in Chisinau. He also denied that Cosmos Hotel was resold, as it is rumored. Oleg Budza said he will sue those who made unfounded accusations against the Confederation. He stated the organization earned 63 million lei from the sale of the three facilities. Former directors of trade union companies, in a news conference held at Info-Prim Neo last week, said several years ago the Confederation managed over 40 recreational, sport and culture organizations, but now only 20. According to them, the property is sold at low prices by a group of trade union officials headed by the Confederation's head Oleg Budza and is bought by private companies that belong to the same persons. Marcel Lungu, ex-director of the pension Flora, said that the facility was sold for 17 million lei and then pledged with a bank for 35 million lei, which shows it is worth twice as much as the selling price. Vasile Gotonoaga, the head of the national committee of workers of tourism and recovery industry, said these facilities must be returned to the state and sold by auction.