Sergiu Tofilat, an energy expert with the WatchDog.MD NGO and also a member of the Moldovagaz Supervisory Board, has suspicions about the correctness of tendering procedures conducted by Moldovagaz subsidiaries. In particular, he believes the eventual winners are favored, while impediments are created for other bidders.

Sergiu Tofilat told a press conference on Wednesday that in the case of Chisinau-Gaz, a company with three employees won 21 tenders in recent years, totaling more than 34 million lei. In many cases, the company was the highest bidder and still won, as the other bidders were disqualified.

Tofilat also says that several Moldovagaz subsidiaries, including Chisinau-Gaz, Ialoveni-Gaz and Balti-Gaz, systematically change their procurement plans mid-process.

According to Tofilat, the deadline for organizing calls for tenders was reduced from 10 to 2 working days, making bidders struggling for time. To further filter out competition, an additional condition was introduced, namely the presentation of a field visit certificate.

The expert believes that it is necessary to review how Moldovagaz, the parent company, controls what happens in the subsidiaries. “If there are no rules, they must be created, but if rules exist and they are not observed, the question arises as to what the people in the management are after”.

Sergiu Tofilat stated that he informed APP, the Intelligence and Security Service about the findings, discussed with ANRE and the Ministry of Energy. The expert also said that he will request the Ministry to organize a closed meeting to discuss the problems faced by bidders and see how the situation can be improved.