Center for Investigative Journalism Center launches Monday, September 26, a series of debates with candidates in presidential elections. Marian Lupu, Democrats’ candidate, Mihai Ghimpu, Liberal’s candidate and Iurie Leanca candidate of the European People’s Party were invited to the first press club. The candidates will answer to many tough questions of investigative journalists.

Marian Lupu and Mihai Ghimpu refused to participate in debates for which they received invitations a week ago. Ghimpu said that he would not participate and Marian Lupu declined the invitation a few hours before the debates. According to the adviser of the Democrats’ candidate, Marian Lupu is busy with other activities on his agenda.

Registration of Marian Lupu in presidential race has been criticized by civil society representatives. Promo-Lex experts consider that the Central Election Commission (CEC) has violated its own judgment when it has registered on Saturday, September 3, Democrats’ candidate Marian Lupu in presidential elections.

„ From our viewpoint, CEC violated its own decision Nb.122 related to the order and modality to receive necessary documents for candidates’ registration. On the day of September, 3, 2016, the CEC could activate in the view of task achievement, including to receive documents for initiative groups' registration, but not to register candidates for the post of president, because in this way, indirectly, it favored the PD candidate Marian Lupu. This is not about violation of some legal stipulations, but of a decision approved by CEC”, said Pavel Postica, program director at Promo-Lex.  

Marian Lupu was included in the black list for Clean Parliament, issued by investigative journalists for parliamentary elections dated July 29, 2009. The politician was accused of using administrative resources in several election campaigns and for signing as Speaker of Parliament, an illegal provision to allocate money from the funds of the Legislative to purchase apartments for two of his subordinates.

The press wrote previously about business ties and properties of Marian Lupu. He was supposed to have businesses with the controversial man Ovidiu Vantu (convicted in Romania) through the moldo-romanian company Solidaritarea Ltd., registered in the offshore zone in the British Virgin Islands. Also, according to the press, he owns properties on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. Lupu rejected these accusations.

Mihai Ghimpu has benefits of millions of euros from Eurosim Company which he founded. He has recently recovered the oil station placed on the outskirts of the capital, and last year he leased at bargain price, a plot of 1,300 square meters from local authorities in Chisinau. Ghimpu’s partners in this company have lived at a high rate over the past years. Since Ghimpu is at power, their companies  have been awarded contracts worth hundreds of millions of lei with enterprises  subordinated to the Liberal Party, writes a recent investigation of  Ziarul de Garda, conducted in partnership with the Center for Investigative Journalism. Two years ago, Eurosim and other companies affiliated to family Ghimpu and Chirtoaca have been the target of widespread actions of prosecutors but the criminal case was hushed up by the courts.