Three Moldatsa managers jailed as air-safety corruption probe deepens
A Chișinău court has ordered pretrial detention for two senior employees of Moldatsa, Moldova's state air-navigation enterprise, and house arrest for a third, following anti-corruption raids on the trio's homes and offices on July 23.
The Ciocana branch of Chișinău Court "fully granted" prosecutors' request for preventive measures against two of the three suspects, ordering 30 days of pretrial detention in Penitentiary No. 13, said Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Ana Postolache. She told public broadcaster Moldova 1 that the court partially granted the request for the third suspect, ordering 30 days of house arrest instead.
Moldovan outlet Ziarul de Gardă has identified the three suspects as Olga Tudor, Moldatsa's chief accountant; Loredan Roșca, deputy head of the Aeronautical Security Department; and Marcel Bencheci, deputy head of the Administrative Directorate. Neither the prosecutor's office nor Ziarul de Gardă has specified which two were sent to pretrial detention and which one was placed under house arrest.
The National Anticorruption Center (NAC) detained all three for 72 hours on July 23, after carrying out 25 raids on their homes and offices with anti-corruption prosecutors. Investigators say the case centers on suspected misconduct dating back to 2024, when the suspects allegedly acted against their professional duties for personal gain or to benefit third parties.
The NAC says it uncovered systemic irregularities in how Moldatsa was run, including in public procurement and financial management. A prior NAC review found some staff were hired without competition or integrity vetting, while others held multiple posts simultaneously.
The agency also flagged salary bonuses awarded without clear performance criteria — including to people who approved the payments themselves — and questioned Moldatsa's spending of millions of lei on staff training over a short period.
The raids are the latest blow to Moldatsa, which has been under scrutiny for weeks. Former director Dumitru Vangheli won the post after submitting a CV with false information and was later dismissed; he had earned nearly 110,000 lei (approx. €5,475) a month.
Moldatsa's former spokeswoman earned 120,000 lei (approx. €5,973) a month. She was later identified as Anastasia Taburceanu, a cousin of President Maia Sandu, who resigned and returned all the money she had received from the company.
The scandal has claimed other officials. On June 29, ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) lawmaker Radu Marian stepped down as chair of Parliament's economy, budget and finance committee, and Roman Cojuhari resigned as director-general of the Public Property Agency, saying he took responsibility for insufficient oversight of financial decisions made under Moldatsa's former leadership.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
