Air Moldova: 28,000 passengers still awaiting refunds
After two years of uncertainty, approximately 28,000 Air Moldova passengers are still awaiting compensation from the national airline, which was privatized in 2018.
As of now, it remains unclear when the affected individuals will receive their rightful refunds. According to the Director of the Civil Aeronautical Authority, the funds for these passengers are frozen in an account at a commercial bank.
"Some passengers have managed to recover their ticket costs, totaling approximately 5 million euros. However, we still have 28,000 passengers who haven't received their refunds. Also, in this deposit – which is at one of Moldova's commercial banks – there's approximately 50 million lei under seizure until the situation regarding the rapid restructuring of creditors is clarified," stated Vasile Șaramet, Director of the Civil Aeronautical Authority.
It's worth noting that the state-owned enterprise "Air Moldova" was acquired in 2018 by a private Romanian aviation company.
In October 2019, the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) of the National Anti-corruption Center and the Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office seized assets worth 301.6 million lei as part of a case investigating money laundering on an exceptionally large scale during the privatization of Air Moldova.
Currently, the total value of assets seized in this case stands at approximately one billion lei.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
