---
title: "Moldova PAS hiring scandal: Youth party official faces favoritism claims"
url: https://moldova1.md/p/83490/moldova-pas-hiring-scandal-youth-party-official-faces-favoritism-claims
published: 2026-08-19T08:48:38Z
language: en
author: "Dumitru Petruleac"
section: "Social"
source: moldova1.md
---

# Moldova PAS hiring scandal: Youth party official faces favoritism claims

> Moldova’s ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) faces renewed political scrutiny over public sector hiring practices following revelations regarding rapid youth wing appointments.

![Selinia Cojocaru și fostul ministru al Mediului, Sergiu Lazarencu](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/da019386-3e71-473c-9fe1-cbf429ca7a08.jpg)

*Sursa: Selinia Cojocaru și fostul ministru al Mediului, Sergiu Lazarencu*

Moldova’s ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) faces renewed political scrutiny over public sector hiring practices following revelations regarding rapid youth wing appointments.

An investigation published by investigative portal Moldova Curată revealed that Selinia Cojocaru, vice-president of the party's youth wing, secured multiple ministry roles and public contracts starting at age 19 while holding only a high school diploma.

**High school graduate securing ministry cabinet role**

On July 21, 2023, Cojocaru was appointed part-time assistant to then-Culture Minister Sergiu Prodan at age 19. She received a gross monthly salary of €393 (approx. 7,700 MDL).

The Culture Ministry stated the appointment followed legal provisions governing cabinet personnel. Under these rules, public dignitaries may appoint cabinet staff directly based on personal discretion without public competition.

Following her departure from the cabinet role in January 2024, Cojocaru received an 11-month service contract worth €4,347 (approx. 85,200 MDL) to manage digital promotion for the National Cultural Voucher initiative.

**Multiple contracts and state agency position**

While under contract with the Culture Ministry, Cojocaru signed an additional contract with the Environment Ministry from May to December 2024 totaling €3,280 (approx. 64,295 MDL).

In 2025, she secured two additional contracts from the Environment Ministry totaling over €4,900 (approx. 96,087 MDL), alongside €6,718 (approx. 131,672 MDL) from the StartUp Moldova Foundation.

On August 1, 2025, Cojocaru was hired as a senior specialist at the state enterprise Apele Moldovei without public competition. Former agency director Nicu Belitei clarified that contractual positions fall under the Labour Code rather than civil service rules, making public contests optional.

By June 2026, upon graduating from university, Cojocaru confirmed her transfer to the cabinet of Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder. Cojocaru maintained that she balanced full-time university studies with long working hours, rejecting claims that her career relied on political patronage.

**Government officials defend legal hiring practices**

Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder defended the hiring, arguing that cabinet appointments legally depend on personal trust rather than competitive examinations.

Hajder emphasized the necessity of retaining energetic, digitally skilled young professionals to counter national youth emigration, warning that public media pressure risks discouraging young talent from public service.

PAS lawmaker Sergiu Lazarencu and former media instructor Alexandru Gurdila similarly defended Cojocaru's professional creative output, arguing that young citizens should be encouraged to enter the workforce while pursuing academic degrees.

**Anti-corruption experts raise equal opportunity concerns**

Critics and political opposition leaders argue that the case illustrates broader political favoritism and unequal access to public positions.

Rise Moldova journalist Marcela Zămosteanu and National Moldovan Party leader Dragoș Galbur criticized the practice of filling state agency positions via simple application, asserting that ruling party membership offers an unfair advantage.

Anti-corruption expert Lilia Ioniță noted that sequential appointments across multiple ministries and state enterprises raise concerns over political patronage. Ioniță stated that the key ethical issue centers on whether non-affiliated youth enjoy equal access to similar public opportunities.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

![](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/46d61f4e-4bdf-4328-9a70-8b43be046906.jpg)