Moldovan PM speaks of launching efforts to repatriate 1 bln euro funneled from country
CHISINAU. Jan 27 (Interfax) - The new Moldovan Prime Minister, Pavel Filip, intends to inform the public about the repatriation of one billion euro stolen from three banks using an electronic video display that will be installed in the center of Chisinau.
"The relevant authorities are already working in this direction [of repatriating the stolen money]. We are doing everything possible to get the money back to Moldova. With our colleagues we are even thinking of putting up a panel which we could use to inform the public about the amount of money that we succeed in repatriating daily. This is likely to be an electronic video display put up in a public place in the center of Chisinau," he said in an interview with the Romanian TV channel Digi-24.
He said the government will also be working intensively in the direction of judicial reform, resistance to corruption and the promotion of business in Moldova.
"I have experience. I know how the government should not work. The debate should involve not only Cabinet members but also civil society and the parliamentary platform," the premier said.
"European integration is an internal problem of the country," he said.
"Moldova should be moving along the road of domestic modernization, should develop and resolve problems that it is facing. The European Union does not need a Moldova with corruption and bureaucracy," he said.
Speaking of protests in Chisinau he said that earlier he believed "that pressure on the part of the public would be useful to mobilize Cabinet members."
"Now I don't think so because I am not sure that the demands of the citizens remain as sincere now as they were at the beginning the protests," Filip said.
He expressed confidence that in the near future Moldova will receive the first tranche of 60 million euro of the 150 million euro of aid promised by Romania.
The new Moldovan head of government Pavel Filip went to Bucharest on Tuesday on his first foreign visit. Romania promised to render assistance in overcoming financial difficulties but conditioned assistance to Moldova on reforms and the continuation of the policy of European integration.
About one billion euro was funneled from three Moldovan banks during 2014. This came to light only at the beginning of 2015 when problems were reported at Banca de economii, Banca sociala and Unibank. The state took over the debts of the banks assigning them money from the forex reserves of the National Bank. Under a government decision the debt was converted into a government debt of Moldova. Criminal cases of the theft of money, the issue of dubious loans and money-laundering were launched and detainees include former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, former president of Banca de economii Grigore Gacikevici and several businessmen who had not repaid their loans.
