A number of parents protested in front of the General Division of Education, Youth and Sports of the Chisinau Municipal Council, demanding that those who rigged the bidding to purchase food products for schools and kindergartens should be penalized. They accused the Division’s managers of corruption. However, the administration of the Division denied responsibility for the bidding, noting those who supplied spoiled food products will be included in the blacklist and will no longer be able to deliver products to public institutions, IPN reports.

The indignant parents came together before the Division’s head office in the evening of November 28. They put forward a number of conditions, including publishing the names of those who took part in bid rigging and dismissing the Division’s managers. The protesting parents said that in spring they complained about the poor menus in kindergartens, which include mainly sausages and practically no fresh fruit and vegetables, but they weren’t listened to.

Valentina Cujba, who will head the General Division of Education, Youth and Sports on an interim basis, while Tatiana Nagnibeda-Tverdohleb is suspended, came out before the parents and assured that those to blame will be penalized. She informed that an internal inquiry to identity all the committed irregularities will be conducted until December 19.

The Division’s communicator Elena Vorotneac said all the business entities that supplied spoiled food products to schools and kindergartens will be put on the blacklist and will be unable to take part in biddings.

Last week, officers of the National Anticorruption Center arrested a number of persons, including education officials and businessmen, on suspicion that they rigged bids and delivered food products of a poor quality to education institutions.