Journalistic findings uncovered visa trafficking in the Romanian Consulate in Chishinau. A few weeks after they were released, the Interior Ministry in the Moldovan Republic announced one link in the affair was under arrest. Chishinau officials presently informed that in the business there were involved high rank officials employed by the Romanian Consulate in Chishinau. Consul Alexandru Rus was unofficially claimed to be part of it. Bucharest's first response was weak. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs just denied having any official information from Moldovan authorities. But the President of Romania Traian Basescu said Tuesday evening that the whole story was an operation of the Moldovan secret services and he warned that Romania's response would be very tough.
Florin Lencu, a spokesman for Romania's Embassy to Chishinau, told us yesterday that Moldovan authorities produced no evidence on the case so far. Chishinau officials have just claimed having evidence, but without disclosing any.
Basescu's threat
President Basescu said Tuesday evening that this Romanian-Moldovan diplomacy scandal was "the latest aggression plotted against Romania" and he emphasized the response would be "very tough".
When asked about it by a young Moldovan female, the President mentioned first that it was not the Consulate in Chishinau that releases visa for Moldovan citizens, since the visas were released from Bucharest so that a Consulate employee could not facilitate procedures. The President commented: "We know the story about a lady from a travel agency inviting an embassy employee to a restaurant and then with the lady being taken by the Moldovan police. We know the lady's husband addressed the employee too. The whole trick was because of the need to film the Romanian employee with an envelope and make it unclear if he takes it or gives it. They would better give up such challenges. We know it is travel agencies that commit fraud". Visibly irritated at the issue, the President added: "This is the latest aggression plotted against Romania. We will have a very tough response this time. They have gone too far". He didn't forget to mention that the Consulate in Chishinau employed several Moldovan citizens.
Foreign minister promises "substantial attitude"
Adrian Cioroianu, Romania's foreign minister wouldn't comment on it yesterday. He just mentioned the issue was "too serious to be dismissed on the stairway" and he promised "substantial attitude" for early next week. He promised to hold a press conference and tackle the visa scandal.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned the letter received from the Moldovan Interior Ministry demanded some information about certain visas released by the Embassy's Consulate Department in 2007, as well as information on the department's employees. There is mentioned that the document doesn't specify anything about documents or decisions by the staff in the Romanian Embassy to Chishinau.
Chishinau keeps on claiming the same
According to Ala Meleca, a spokeswoman for the Moldovan Interior Ministry, the institution did not "plot challenges" in the inquiry on the visa fraud and the criminal cases rely on "well handled evidence in keeping with the legislation in force". She argued: "The criminal cases against persons involved in breaks of the legislation in the Moldovan Republic are grounded and there is well handled evidence in keeping with the legislation in force".
Valentin Zubic, a deputy interior minister in the Moldovan Republic, stated last Friday that a high official in Romania's Embassy in Chishinau was suspected of having facilitated Romanian visas for Moldovan citizens. The Moldovan Interior Ministry claimed having written an official letter to the Romanian Consulate one day before in order to demand support for inquiry. But the Romanian Embassy in the Moldovan Republic announced having received no official information on the case.
George Damian
Ziua Joi 23 August 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english
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