There are 31 high educational institutions in Moldova, of which 19 are state universities. Some rectors have managed the universities for 15-20 years. Only in 2014, when the new Education Code was implemented, it stipulated that rectors cannot serve more than two consecutive terms, of five years each. In addition to management and teaching activity, many of them got involved in politics – either by joining a party or offering the university as platform for politicians. Also, some of them have profitable businesses and luxury houses. Managers' salaries are not small. Center for Investigative Journalism analyzed incomes and properties of the rectors of state universities and invites you to find out them.  

Gheorghe Ciocanu, Moldova State University: manager with criminal case at a dead end

Gheorghe Ciocanu has been rector of Moldova State University (MSU) since 2007 and is currently serving the second term. Before being appointed, he was dean of the Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics of the same institution. According to statements for recent years, Ciocanu has gradually increased his revenues from 307,000 lei in 2012 to almost 400,000 lei in 2015, money raised from the monthly salary of 15,000 lei, educational, scientific and creative activities.

Rector says that he owns an apartment of 70 square meters in the center of the capital, purchased in 2008 and valued at about one million lei, and in 2014, he  reported a car Audi Q5 obtained in bailment. Ciocanu sold a car of the same brand a year earlier for  the sum 28,000 euros. However, the car was not  declared in the 2012  and  2015 statements on property. In 2013, the manager at MSU opened a bank deposit that  amounted to 41,000 dollars in  2015. Also, he took out a bank loan of nearly one million lei.

In 2011, family Ciocanu bought a plot of 0.06 hectares in the small town Codru , suburb of the capital. In the same year, the land was mortgaged for the bank loan reported in the statements on income. Data from Cadastre report that a great house with 2 floors and a total surface of 209.8 square meters was built on the plot on str. Sergiu Radautan.

A previous investigation carried out by the Center for Investigative Journalism, published on the portal Anticoruptie.md revealed details about the criminal case opened against the rector of MSU in September, 2015. National Anticorruption Center took action after there were suspicions that procurement contest of the investment project initiated by MSU and the construction company Lagmar-Impex SRL had been defrauded. According to the project, that was expected to complete  in 2018, the company committed to renovate several dormitories and a block of studies. Instead, MSU ceded 2 plots in the center of the capital. The construction company raised a huge residential complex which sells apartments, whose prices range from 444 euros per one sq.m. The case is at a dead end. While prosecutors argue that they still collect evidence, rector of MSU, the only person charged in the criminal case, is confident that this is a  political fabricated case.

We tried several times to talk with rector of MSU Gheorghe Ciocanu, but he refused each time to comment on this case, accusing us of bad faith and manipulation of public opinion. "This case is at a dead end for a year period! I brought 81 million lei to the institution, can you imagine?! 81 million?! Now, I am accused of power abuse ... Wait the sentence! Why don’t you wait for the court decision if you claim that you are right?", he said, being clearly bothered about  questions.

Gheorghe Ciocanu joined the Liberal-Democratic Party in Moldova in 2010 along with other eight rectors of the most important high educational institutions. In 2016, he offered the university as a platform of launch for Marian Lupu, chairman of the Democratic Party in the presidential elections. This event took place on the same day when the university marked its 70th anniversary. Rector's decision has been criticized by several students of the educational institution. Dozens of students protested in front of the central block of   MSU and demanded the resignation of rector Ciocanu.

Grigore Belostecinic, Academy of Economic Studies in Moldova: "I renounced politics; I do not have any commitment to anyone"

Grigore Belostecinic has been  rector of the Academy of Economic Studies (ASEM) since 2001. In 2009, he was awarded the Order of Honor of Moldova. He was in the list of the nine managers of high educational institutions who have joined the  Liberal-Democratic Party in Moldova (PLDM) in July, 2010. In the parliamentary elections in November 2010 and  in 2014, Grigore Belostecinic received mandate of MP, but in both cases renounced and preferred to manage ASEM. Meanwhile, in October 2012, he became  deputy-chairman of the party, responsible of education. He says that he  renounced the party activity "with almost half a year before the collapse of the party began" and does not want to get involved in politics. 

Grigore Belostecinic received in 2015 incomes amounted at half of million lei from his activity at ASEM. According to the statement on income, monthly salary of rector was about 26,600 lei. Other 124,000 lei he received from the post of academician at the Academy of Sciences in Moldova: allowance - 48,000; for "European projects" - 48,000 for research projects at the Institute of Biology of ASM - 28,000, 23.280 lei- allowance for minor child care, 9,600 lei – for activity at the University of Comrat and 17.384 lei – for the post of MP, a position which he occupied for a very short time. However, the rector rendered consulting services amounting to 29.950 lei to Transservice SA company, specialized in trade and passenger transport.

Grigore Belostecinic has 2 apartments, one of them with a surface of 46,8 square meters and another one of 28 square meters, 2 uninhabited constructions, a  bank deposit of almost half of million lei and a loan totaling 777.428 lei. Academician did not report any plots or cars. In previous statements on income, he reported a plot with a surface of 600 square meters in Danceni, part of the agricultural Cooperative „Dolna”. Subsequently, this property is hidden in the statements. The rector did not  report on the sale of this plot. „ It is inherited by the son of my wife. He is already the owner”, said Grigore Belostecinic. 

Rector of ASEM received a sum of 152.000  lei  from a loan agreement with Moldcredit SRL, a joint enterprise where he owns 13% of shares. Moldcredit SRL is an enterprise funding small businesses and was registered in August, 2010. His partners in this company with a social capital totaling 8,2 million lei, are Dumitru Ursu, Gheorghe Ursu ( manager ), Victor Avram, Dumitru Sofroni, Victor Sturza and Michel Steger  from Switzerland.  Under a financial report presented in 2012 by the National Bureau of Statistics, the company had an income of almost 6 million lei.

Ion Ababii, rector of University of Medicine „Nicolae Testemitanu”: landowner assisted by his son from Paris

Ion Ababii has been rector of State University of Medicine and Pharmacy (USMF) „Nicolae Testemitanu” since 1994 and he was re-elected for this post in 2014 last. Between 2005-2008,  he served as Minister of Health and he was dismissed when the new Government led by Zinaida Greceanii was established. In 2012, Ababii was proposed by the Alliance for European Integration as candidate for the seat of president of the state along with Veronica Bacalu. Shortly, he withdrew after party leaders from  the Alliance for European Integration disputed in a parliamentary meeting. As rector of the University of Medicine,  last year Ababii received a monthly salary of about 23.300 lei (an income of 279.231 lei per year), 78,000 lei  salary for the activity of university professor and scientific advisor in the institution and 48,000 lei – for the seat of member of the Academy of Sciences. The rector  declared the pension totaling 104,000 lei, an allowance of 24.169 lei and other about 145,000 lei as salary for the implementation of several international projects in Health and Education.

In the income statement for the past year, rector of University of Medicine  reported 63 agricultural plots which he owns in his native village, Ochiul Alb, district Drochia and which were bought between 2010 and 2015. Previously, his land properties numbered 86 plots with a total area of 100 hectares. Last year, Ion Ababii said for Moldova Curata that the plots were purchased with the help of his son Andrei Ababii, who is a surgeon in Paris, and he would have sent him some money. "He thought that he would return  here and then we bought the plots in my native village. These plots are tilled, if something can be done with them it will be great, but we stopped.  Probably, he will return home and will start businesses. I do not need any business”, said Ion Ababii for Moldova Curata. 

Also, the manager of the University of Medicine owns a family farm in his village, which is among the recipients of grants from the state. In 2016, Ababii’s farm received over half a million lei from the Subsidy Fund for farmers.

Ion Ababii drives a Mitsubishi Outlander obtained in bailment and owns  ¾ of a house of 172.7 square meters. Rector is the owner of a water storage tank, acquired in 2014, with a cadastral value of almost 1.5 million lei. Also, his wife, Liudmila Ababii holds 3.59% shares in the company Cefarm SRL, licensed in pharmaceutical products commercialization. The company has a total of 23 founders and  is registered on str. Vladimir Korolenko 2 in Chisinau,  the same address as that of  Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery. In May 2015, members of the National Integrity Commission started a check on possible failure to declare all revenues by the rector. Shortly, the case was closed.

Nicolae Chicus, rector of the State Pedagogical University „Ion Creanga”

Nicolae Chicus  has served as dean of the Faculty of History and Ethno pedagogy at the University „Ion Creanga” and in 2010 , he was elected rector of the institution. In 2015, he received 274.265  lei  from the salary of manager of the university, about 22.855 lei per month. He owns 3 plots, 2 of them inherited in 2010 and another one- last year. He owns an apartment and a house with a surface of 110 square meters and a car Toyota, 2001.

Valentin Beniuc, Institute of International Relations of Moldova (IRIM)

The rector is PhD in Historical Sciences and PhD in political science. In 2003-2005, he was Minister of Education in Government Tarlev 1, and then he was named manager of the institution. As manager of IRIM, he received almost 252,000 lei and other 31 270 lei from pension, according to the statement. Professor has an apartment with a surface of 71.5 square meters, which he took possession in 2005, and a plot of 0.3 hectares, purchased in 2011.

Viorel Bostan, Technical University in Moldova: post inherited from father to son

Viorel Bostan has been appointed rector of the Technical University of Moldova earlier this year. He has been working at the university since 2004, initially he was senior lecturer, then associate professor at the Department of Superior Mathematics, he is the son of former rector of the institution, Ion Bostan. His appointment for this post was criticized because the leadership of the institution was transmitted from father to son. 

"All professional results are achieved by my personal effort and can be verified. In addition,  I studied abroad. I and other two candidates convened a meeting with all teachers and all students from all nine faculties in our university. In all, we had 19 meetings and a large public debate throughout the university. Yes, of course, I do not deny -  I am my father's son, but just that",commented Viorel Bostan for newspaper Adevarul Moldova, shortly after he was appointed for this post. 

According to the last statement of income, Bostan  received 243 305 lei  from salary and over 20,000 lei per month for cumulative positions of professor and researcher. 63,000 lei of this  sum he earned from the seat of expert of the National Council for Accreditation and Attestation and for national and international projects. His wife received an allowance of 17,400 lei for child care.

In 2012, Bostan family came into possession of a house of 341 square meters, with a cadastral value of over 1.5 million lei. In the same year, he bought a plot of 0.08 hectares. Rector reported in the statement a car Renault Modus, 2005, which was donated to him in 2013.

Maria Duca, University of the Academy of Sciences in Moldova: incomes of millions from science

Maria Duca is rector of the University of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (UnASM) since 2008 and he was previously Chairperson of Department and Dean of the Faculty of Biology of the State University. Last year, she was awarded the Order of the Republic for contribution to the development of biological sciences. In 2015, together with her husband, Gheorghe Duca, President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (ASM), they received over 1.3 million lei from salaries, allowances and activity research.

According to the statement of income, salary of rector Maria Duca is over 21,000 lei per month, other income is accumulated from teaching and research activity in various institutions, including those affiliated to ASM and services provided to the company AMG-Agroselect Comert SRL, specialized in the cultivation and processing of sunflower seeds. On the other hand, Gheorghe Duca received in 2015 a salary of 13,000 lei for the seat of manager of the Academy and  declared other over 334,000 lei incomes for research  activity at the Institute of Chemistry,  at several international organizations and at  Hygieiacom SRL, a company that last year received support from the state budget to implement a project on grape oil extraction and production.

Last year,  family Duca sold many plots which they own in the small town Codru in municipality Chisinau, these transactions totaled 186.497 lei. The couple have a house of 185 square meters and a garage on str. Valea Dicescu in the capital, property worth about  two million lei and a land with an unfinished building, worth 95,000 lei.  The list of properties includes a holiday house with a total area of 658 square meters in town Borsec, Harghita County, Romania. An investigation conducted under a project of the Center for Investigative Journalism showed that the value of the house exceeds 100,000 euros, judging by the prices in the area. The documents of the house show that the price is 12,500 euros. For comparison, a square meter of land in a good area in ​​Borsec  is sold at the price of 40 euros. Chairman of ASM told journalists that anyone can get a villa in Borsec, because it is cheap.

Gheorghe Duca drives a car Hyundai Tucson, manufactured and bought in 2011. He also holds 10% shares in SRL Avantchim. Company is specialized in activities with precious stones and metals, pawn shops, import and processing, storage and wholesale commercialization of chemicals, etc. Maria Duca, in turn, has a 30% share in SRL Excert.  This limited liability company has several areas of activity: technical testing and analysis, design, planning and engineering, shipping and transport services, consultations for businesses and travel agencies.

Couple Duca  has 12 bank accounts. In 2014, president of the Academy of Science  was in the attention of the National Integrity Commission (NIC) namely for  having concealed certain shares in companies, four  plots and 17 bank accounts. But he was not sanctioned for non-compliance. 

Also in 2014, members of  the Commission  found  that Gheorghe Duca violated the legal status of conflict of interests when he handed out over 100 hectares of land, a two storey block on str. Academiei 1 A in Chisinau and a café to the University of the Academy. Gheorghe Duca did not agree with the decision of the National Integrity Commission and challenged it to court.  In early 2016, the Court of Appeal Chisinau ruled that the academician is charged for having concealed personal interests in this case and he did not solve the conflict of interests within three days, as required by law.

"Mr. Duca started a procedural appeal: first representatives of NIC held a press conference in which they announced that he had violated a law and then they convened the meeting and discussed this problem. Simultaneously, the case was forwarded to the prosecutor's office and later was closed", said Eugenia Tofan from the press service of the Academy of Sciences.