The Party of Action and Solidarity’s councilors serving on the Chisinau Municipal Council demand to annul the order to name Sergiu Ceban as director of the municipal utility billing enterprise Infocom and to hold a contest to choose a new director based on meritocracy. The councilors said mayor Ion Ceban is in a conflict of interest with the current head of the municipal enterprise, IPN reports.

“An upright person who would not be incompatible with the held post should be selected,” the deputy head of the PAS group on CMC Zinaida Popa stated in a news conference. During the next few days, the National Integrity Authority and the Prosecutor General’s Office will be requested to analyze the legality of the taken actions, including by mayor Ion Ceban.

PAS councilor Roman Cojuhari said Sergiu Ceban is the founder of companies that provide services similar to those offered by Infocom. Ceban was named head of Infocom with the aim of taking over the database of the municipal enterprise that currently serves over 80% of dwellings in the municipality of Chisinau.

The PAS councilor said mayor Ion Ceban knowingly named Sergiu Ceban as Infocom director, even if he is in a conflict of interest with this. The goal is to lead the enterprise to bankruptcy.

In a reaction published earlier, spokeswoman for mayor general Ion Ceban, Natalia Ixari, said the actions of the PAS councilors are aimed at denigrating the mayor and the City Hall. “Until now, this company was managed by a person affiliated to this party. Now the new acting director probably does not suit those from PAS and they got angry. It is their style to attack those who are not liked by PAS,” stated Natalia Ixari.