Political

PAS Accuses Chișinău Mayor of Unauthorised Loans

Municipal councillors from PAS in Chișinău accuse the mayor of the capital, Ion Ceban, of having contracted a series of loans from commercial banks in recent years without the approval of the Chișinău Municipal Council (CMC).

According to the vice president of the PAS faction in the CMC, Sergiu Stoian, a complaint was filed with the General Prosecutor's Office to investigate the alleged irregularities.

"Between 2021 and 2023, Ion Ceban secured loans totaling approximately 735 million lei from several commercial banks in the Republic of Moldova. Any loan contracted by the Municipality of Chișinău was supposed to be accompanied by an authorization decision from the CMC, which did not happen. At the time of contracting, the commercial banks were misled, as they were presented only with decisions related to the annual budget, which cannot replace a CMC decision," declared PAS councillor Sergiu Stoian.

In response, the mayor of the capital, Ion Ceban, stated at the operational meeting of the Municipality's services on May 20 that these loans were contracted without violating the law. He also stated that the information presented by the PAS councillors does not reflect reality.

"The rate of indebtedness has decreased to about 18 percent for the Municipality of Chișinău, with the ceiling being 30 percent. Regarding the municipal budget, everything is transparent and easily accessible," declared mayor Ion Ceban.

This is not the first time that the municipal councillors from PAS have accused mayor Ion Ceban and his team of incompetence in managing public funds. Law enforcement institutions have been notified in several cases by representatives of the governing party in the CMC. Mayor Ion Ceban has previously criticised the complaints submitted by them.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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