The construction of a 16-storey block of flats on a plot of only five acres near the central seismic station in Chisinau jeopardizes the work of this institution. Scientists warn that the construction work will disrupt the activity of seismologists. On the other hand, Chisinau City Hall, which authorized the construction, says that it cannot violate the right to private property.  The controversial estate project is owned by company Lucet-Comert SRL, a company close to the Chisinau City Hall, beneficiary of the largest contracts from public money.

How Lucet-Comert owned a part of the park of the Academy of Science

The land where SRL Lucet – Comert wants to build constructions is located on the so-called "red lines" (underground communication networks, water supply and high voltage power lines). In 2000, this plot was distributed as private ownership by former mayor Serafim Urechean to a person called Emilian Masliucov who requested land for building a house. He committed himself to build a 2-storey house within 3 years.  If he did not comply with this commitment, the newly owner would have to return the plot to the local public administration. The City Hall did not consider the fact that this plot was managed by the Science Academy.

Author of the video: Anatol Matasaru

Scheme to seize the plot

Just three months after Masliucov got property rights, he paid for the plot about 300 lei (normative price of the land), sold it at market price, which in 2000 enabled to buy a two-bedroom apartment. The scheme is known: the land is obtained by a person or family who has the right to ask for plot for building a house, then, the plot is sold, the new owner sells it again and thus, the third purchaser is considered to act in good faith. The process of sale-purchase is often fictitious. The scheme is planned so that it reaches “the right person”, so that a real estate company builds a block of flats and gets a pretty good income. The stakes are high for such plots taken for free from municipal property. Experts from Expert-Grup say that the revenue from a 7-storey building, built in Chisinau is worth one million euros (!). Exactly following this scheme, this plot, was sold three times within 8 years and in 2008, it was bought by Ludmila Cecetova, owner of the construction company Lucet - Comert.

"Company close to City Hall" with agreements of millions from public funds

SRL Lucet - Comert is the company that in the last five years, won contracts worth 175 million lei from Chisinau City Hall and municipal subdivisions. The press wrote several times that Lucian Chirtoaca, brother of mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca owns this company. The mayor denied that his brother had anything to do with that company. SRL Lucet - Comert is one of the companies very close to the municipality, if we consider the list of public contracts won in recent years. SRL Lucet - Comert was established in 2002. Initially, the company activated in the field of retail commerce of food products.  Gradually, it started works in construction. The construction projects  of the economic unit cover: general school in the village Dancu, district Hincesti,  aqueduct in town Hancesti and in Ceadir-Lunga, str. Studentilor and pedestrian street Alexandru Diordita in Chisinau, as well as residential block  on str. Ghioceilor under the social Program "First House", implemented by  Chisinau City Hall. Also, Lucet - Comert performed works to install the monument of the Victims of the deportations in the Railway Square in Chisinau. The company built houses for the flood victims in village Nemteni and village Cotul Morii in 2010.

The information published on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction proves that in August 2010, Lucet – Comert had the lowest business figure (4,5 million lei) of economic units entitled to build houses for victims in district Hancesti. This discontented other economic units, who said that Lucet-Comert won illegally this tender.

Another scandal of this company relates to the poor quality of works performed on the pedestrian street. Though, initially the project on str. Diordita was estimated at 6 million lei, the works cost over 12 million lei, twice higher. According to the current legislation, the initial sum of the agreement can increase by up to 30% for public procurement. "I do not understand, why Lucet – Comert was not sanctioned for poor quality of works ", wrote the municipal councilor Ilian Casu on a socialization net.

The largest project won by Lucet – Comert from Chisinau City Hall relates to the construction of parking places in the courtyards in Chisinau, worth over 53 million lei.

Construction authorization without coordination

In the coming years, the land is pledged for contracting loans. For a period of seven years, this plot is pledged six times. It was pledged on 27 November 2015 last, to Moldinconbank for a loan worth 3.483 million lei. This was possible despite the restrictions imposed by the bailiffs over this plot.

In late 2014, Cecetova filed a complaint to Chisinau City Hall and requested authorization to build a block of flats. The company received the certificate of urbanism to build a 16-storey construction on February 18, 2015 and two years later- the authorization for construction.

No one took into account the opinion of the Institute of Geodesy and Seismology, located in close proximity. This in spite of the fact that the Law authorizing work in construction, in force since 2010, stipulates that for issuing the urbanism certificate it is necessary to have the notary agreement signed by  the co-owners of property / land whose interests may be affected directly in the process of execution of construction and during  the commissioning of the construction. Moreover, according to general Urban Plan of Chisinau, the area where Lucet-Comert builds constructions, is placed in a special urban area, a fact that excludes the construction of multi-storey blocks.  The reply addressed to the leadership of the Moldova Science Academy  by Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Construction Anatolie Zolotcov says that the "land is located in the urban area with the code" S ", that does not allow classification in areas for housing, commercial or industrial purposes." As a result, a month later, the State Construction Inspectorate issued a prescription which "prohibits the commencement of construction of a building that does not fall under the provisions of the General Urban Plan".