The head of the Executive Office of UCOOP (Union of Consumer Cooperatives) Criuleni Constantin Balaban said he is harassed by the State Tax Inspectorate. The Inspectorate carried out a number of inspections at UCOOP Criuleni and, as a result, a number of buildings of the Cooperative were sequestrated. Now the Cooperative works partially only. In a news conferecne at IPN, Constantin Balaban said he suspects that persons holding executive posts in Criuleni district have an interest in the Cooperative’s property that is assessed at tens of millions of lei.
According to Constantin Balaban, everything started in 2012, when the Criuleni State Tax Inspectorate carried out the first inspection. As a result of the inspection, the Cooperative was fined a total of about 370 000 lei for tax evasion and a number of buildings owned by the Cooperative were sequestrated. Afterward, Constantin Balaban went to the Criuleni Court, which ruled in his favor, but the Chisinau Appeals Court quashed the decision of the first court.
The president of UCOOP Criuleni said that in two years the Tax Inspectorate performed another inspection at the Cooperative and this was fined another 650 000 lei for not repatriating money earned from the export of particular products. This time the Criuleni Court decided in favor of the Inspectorate.
Constantin Balaban stated that he does not understand why such things happen, but he presumes that it is about the goals pursued by persons holding important posts in the district. “I’m a frank man and I speak openly at all the meetings and someone does not like this probably,” he stated.
The lawyer in this case Natalyna Gutan said the given situation is regrettable. After the second inspection carried out by the Tax Inspectorate, the Cooperative was fined another over 350,000 lei for diminishing the tax. “The State Tax Inspectorate didn’t explain why they consider that the taxpayer diminished the tax. There are many doubts and the situation is unclear,” she stated, adding that evidence must be provided to show that the tax was reduced.
The representatives of UCOOP Criuleni said the second case is now tried by the Appeals Court and if the Court’s judgment is not in their favor, they will appeal it to the Supreme Court of Justice.
