4 Persons from the Former TRM Administration Are Accused of Inflicting the Loss of About 6 Million Lei on the Institution. The Case Has Been on the Magistrates’ Desk for Over a Year

The defendants in the criminal case are Constantin Marin, Teleradio-Moldova ex-president, Alecu Vicol, the former head of the Legal Service, and two persons still working for the institution – Galina Blanaru,  the Financial Department director, and Vitalie Cojocaru, the head of the Marketing, Sales, and Research Service. All of them are accused of culpable negligence.

According to the official response from the General Prosecutor’s Office to Media Azi, “as a result of the imputed crime, IPNA Teleradio-Moldova Company suffered a loss of 5 712 300 lei.” If found guilty, the defendants risk a fine of up to 42 500 lei or up to two years of imprisonment; in either case, they could be deprived of the right to hold certain positions or to practice a certain activity for a two-year or a five-year term.

Media Azi previously reported that the breaches regarding the leased TRM premises were detected by the Court of Audit following an audit for 2013-2014. More exactly, the TRM administration allegedly leased several premises without the consent of the Board of Observers, and the agreements signed with the companies did not provide for penalties for breaching the provisions stipulated in the documents, thus violating the regular procedure to be followed in such cases. The court notified the law enforcement authorities, and the case initiated in March 2015 was investigated by the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office.

The examination of the case at Chisinau Court by the magistrate Ghenadie Plamadeala started in June 2019. Most of the sessions were postponed either due to the absence of lawyers, prosecutors, or magistrates or to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, or for other reasons.

TRM FORMER HEAD ABOUT THE CASE: “I WISH IT COULD FINALLY COME TO AN END”   

Constantin Marin, who managed the institution during the period in question, previously explained to Media Azi that the tenants had not paid their debts, and the then administration had presumably taken all the required steps, including claims and lawsuits. He pleads innocent.

A year and a half after the court examination started the former head of TRM claims that he does not attend every session and is represented by his lawyer. “It is a pandemic period; sometimes, sessions are canceled, sometimes, we gather and have to part. You know, it depends on the situation,” Constantin Marin explains to us. When asked about his expectations of the trial, he replied, “I wish it could finally come to an end.”   

Vitalie Cojocaru has refused to comment on the subject in question, and Galina Blanaru and Alecu Vicol do not answer the phone.

VACANT PREMISES AS TRM’S LINGERING PROBLEM

The issue of vacant premises managed by Teleradio-Moldova is an old one and has been discussed many times, in different contexts: at TRM, during the sessions of the Court of Audit, and at the Parliament. The last audit of the Court of Audit carried out at TRM in 2020 revealed that the vacant premises at Teleradio-Moldova had continued to be leased contrary to the standards in 2017-2019. The CA experts warned that almost 70% of the vacant premises available to TRM were not leased; it resulted in lost revenue “which, for 2017-2019, according to audit estimates, for the vacant space which could be rented (513 sq. m) could amount to at least 711.8 thousand lei,” according to the report.

The current administration refers to the lack of attractiveness of the vacant premises it manages for potential tenants, due to both the location of the headquarters compared to those of the competitors in the central area of the capital, and the condition of the premises.