The mayor of Rezina town risks remaining without the seat given a conflict of interest identified by the National Integrity Authority (NIA). The Authority determined that an individual firm managed by the mayor signed a contract with the Rezina mayor’s office for the rent of a car for being used by the mayor’s office.
Simion Tatarov, who is holding his second term as mayor, has told IPN that he challenged the NIA’s ascertaining document and explained that the car was offered to the mayor’s office free of charge, based on a rental agreement.
The NIA said that even if the contract of the representative of the mayor’s office stipulated the name of the mayor, the lease and the receipt agreement compiled the same day were signed by the deputy mayor. When using the car, the distance limit set by the local council was exceeded. Also, an extra 15,000 lei was allocated for purchasing diesel fuel in 2016, 2017 and 2018, says the NIA’s ascertaining document.
The document shows the mayor argued he used the car of his firm in order to avoid spending extra amounts from the local budget and he also worked as a driver so as to avoid incurring other costs. As to the signature put by the deputy mayor, he said the deputy mayor is responsible for activities related to the property of the mayor’s office.
The integrity inspector said Simion Tatarov didn’t comply with the legislation as he didn’t declare the conflict of interest and didn’t wait for a solution, violating the legal regime of the conflict of interest this way. “If the document issued by NIA remains final, the major risks remaining without his seat and being banned from holding public posts for a three-year period,” NIA says in a press release.
Contacted by IPN for a comment, Simion Tatarov said that he disputed the ascertaining document. All the costs related to the maintaining of the car, the road tax (3,000 lei), car insurance tax were covered by the firm that offered the car in a good condition to the mayor’s office. No driver was hired and the car was driven by the mayor and other employees of the mayor’s office. “When we received a notice from NIA, we complied and purchased a car with 375,000 lei and employed a driver who is paid a monthly salary,” stated the mayor, noting that the law on the conflict of interest took effect in July 2017, while the rental agreement between the individual firm and the mayor’s office came into force on January 1, 2016. The law does not have a retroactive effect.
