The Constitutional Court is in deliberations and will pass its judgment as regards the constitutionality of the Government decision to concede the Chisinau International Airport at 3pm. Challenges on the issue were filed by a group of Liberal reforming MPs and a group of Communist lawmakers. The authors of the challenges argue that the constitutional provisions concerning the economy and security of Moldova were violated by this decision, IPN reports.

During debates in the Court, the leader of the parliamentary group of Liberal reformers Ion Hadarca said the adoption of the decision to concede such a facility is not within the powers of an acting government, which only manages the public affairs. “The Government dismissed by a vote of no confidence by Parliament cannot represent the interests of the majority of people,” he stated.

Communist lawmaker Igor Vremea, one of the authors of the Communists’ challenge, said the decision to concede the airport and to hold a contest runs counter to the constitutional norms. The airport is a strategic facility, while the held contest was fully nontransparent. Constitutional articles concerning the right to information, expiration of the Government’s mandate and informing of Parliament were violated.

The Government’s permanent representative to the Constitutional Court Nicolae Esanu said the concession procedure was started not by the dismissed but by the plenipotentiary Cabinet. It was continued by an executive that had limited powers and was finished by a plenipotentiary Government.

The Government conceded the airport for a 49-year period to a Russian company that pledged to invest €250 million in its modernization.