Former minister of youth and sport Octavian Ticu is accused by the leaders of a number of sports federations of telling lies when he says that current minister Octavian Bodisteanu appropriated money through the agency of sports federations. Representatives of the federations demand that Octavian Ticu should deny the information and should offer apologies. Otherwise, they will sue him for slander. The statements were made in a news conference at IPN.
The representatives of the wrestling, weightlifting and rugby federations said that Octavian Ticu came to manage the ministry in order to promote his personal interests and had been on bad terms with Octavian Bodisteanu, who was then deputy minister, from the very first day of his appointment.
The president of the Moldovan Wrestling Federation Victor Peicov said that Ticu’s statements are erroneous. The federation receives no money directly, only through the agency of the Olympic Training Center. The federation’s vice president Anatolie Guidea said the assertions that the Moldovan wrestlers do not achieve results are also not true. Over the last two years, the wrestlers brought by 14-16 medals from international camperships. The federation will call an extraordinary meeting to decide what steps to take in relation to ex-minister’s statements.
National wrestling team coach Ruslan Bodisteanu, who is the current minister’s brother, said that he was chosen as coach last December, but started to train the team in January. In February, Octavian Ticu was named minister. In this connection, Ruslan Bodisteanu asked to what period the former minister referred when he said that he benefited from concessions because he is Octavian Bodisteanu’s brother.
The president of the Weightlifting Federation Tudor Casapu considers that if Octavian Ticu had headed the ministry in continuation, not only the athletes, but also the coaches would have left the country. He added that some of the people simply do not have the vocation to manage an institution and recommended Ticu to write books.
The president of the Rugby Federation Vasile Revenko said that he never was offered to take part in money laundering or misappropriation, while the vice president Veaceslav Bulai informed that the federation’s bureau decided to sue Octavian Ticu if he does not offer public apologies.
