Voronin's approval was sought before appointing drivers to diplomatic missions, Leanca

In the process of declassifying a series of documents issued by the previous government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has learned that ex-President Vladimir Voronin had a great deal of influence over the diplomatic activity, up to the smallest details. At a news conference on Thursday, Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca revealed some pieces of secret correspondence between his predecessor, Andrei Stratan, and Vladimir Voronin, in which Stratan was asking Voronin's approval before appointing some driver or accountant-in-chief to diplomatic missions. That, according to Leanca, demonstrated how much influence the former president exerted on the diplomatic activity. At the same time, Leanca urged the former president to relinquish the diplomatic passports that he still holds. Leanca presented, on this occasion, a list of 26 former high-ranking officials who have failed to return their diplomatic passports, including Voronin, Stratan, ex-Prosecutor General Valeriu Gurbulea, a number of ambassadors and members of their families.