Education Minister Dan Perciun believes that the MoldATSA case was a systemic mistake, and a change of course is needed both in the party and in government. At the same time, commenting on Radu Marian’s participation in this scandal, Perciun said that “Marian is one of the most honest and idealistic people” he knows. “But due to excessive trust, they made a mistake.”
“What happened at MoldATSA was a system error, a failure to respond in a timely manner and to investigate incoming signals thoroughly enough. (…) Trust is very difficult to gain and very easy to lose. In the period ahead, we will have to make difficult but necessary decisions as a government and as a party if we are to restore that trust. This will be a difficult but not impossible task. (…) A course correction is necessary both in the party and in government. Similar vulnerabilities may exist in other areas, and it is our duty to conduct this internal analysis and intervene decisively where necessary,” Perchun wrote on Facebook, noting that he believes PAS has the capabilities to do so.
Speaking about Radu Marian’s involvement in this scandal, Perciun said: “Radu is one of the most honest and idealistic people I know. (…) As chairman of the largest and most complex committee in parliament, he participated and was actively involved in dozens of extremely complex issues. He did not hesitate and made decisions even when they were unpopular and when he knew that he was deliberately exposing himself to attack. But due to excessive trust, mistakes were made, and now he has decided to take a step back.”
Perchun promised that “we will correct what needs to be corrected, the guilty will be punished, we will learn a lesson from this.”
It should be noted that on June 29, PAS MP Radu Marian announcedthat he is resigning from the post of chairman of the parliamentary commission on economics, budget and finance. He explained this by saying that he made a mistake when he recommended Dumitru Vangeli for the position of head of MoldATSA, which “hit the reputation of the entire team.”
Earlier, Marian confirmed on television that it was he who proposed the candidacy of Dumitru Vangeli for the post of head of MoldATSA. Later Marian admitted on social networks that he was wrong to promote Vangeli to the post of head of the enterprise without checking the information from his resume.
In a comment to NewsMaker, MP toldwho grew up in the same yard as Vangeli. Marian explained that, despite having known each other for a long time, he did not know where Vangeli studied, and they were not friends. Marian repeated that he had made a mistake in nominating him for this post.
President Maia Sandu said she discussed the situation with Radu Marian. According to her, the deputy was guided by the best intentions when he recommended Dumitru Vangeli for the post of head of MoldATSA. The head of state emphasized that she saw no reason to suspect Marian of any violations and noted that he “never received illegal personal benefits.”
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ZdG published an investigationwhich claims that Vangeli, whose salary as director of MoldATSA reaches 110 thousand lei, indicated false data in his resume. He allegedly received his pilot’s license from one of Canada’s largest private pilot academies, and immediately after that he worked as a passenger pilot for Air Canada for two years. However, according to the publication, this is not true – Air Canada told reporters that they have no records of such an employee. Also, according to ZdG, the information about the pilot’s license received was not confirmed.
In addition, journalists found out that, as temporary director of MoldATSA in 2024, Vangeli hired a friend, giving her the position of internal audit coordinator with a salary of about 85 thousand lei, and later promoted her to a management position. It also turned out that immediately after winning the competition, he made a donation to the ruling party, and, having headed the enterprise, increased salaries. And already in 2025, several heads of departments indicated in their declarations a salary of about 100 thousand lei per month. And Vangeli himself received various bonuses and allowances.
Vangeli denied the accusationsstating that he provided only truthful and relevant information in his resume.
The State Property Agency first suspended Vangeli from work and initiated an investigation, and then fired him because Vangeli “lost the trust of the founder.”
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