Many years since the death of his grandparents from Mereni, a village situated some 20km from Chişinău, councillor Oleg Oniscenco, who usually visits the village at weekends, has occupied a portion of the public road. The 66-year-old Maria Ciobanu walked on the road, fenced by Oniscenco, who is her godson, one morning in October 2006 when she was going to sell milk at Chişinău Market. The road has been closed to the public, although the people of Mereni have been using it since 1962.

Oniscenco deprived his godparents of the road

“That morning I saw a bulldozer digging in the road,” the old lady, who is also the councillor’s godmother remembered. “Then, they told us they would build a better road.” Shortly after, instead of this, a fence the size of a wall was built. “It’s a high fence, like the ones of a prison. Maybe this is in order to please himself, to walk around in underwear in his courtyard, as he himself said,” Ciobanu added.

Both Ciobanu, as well as her husband Ion, aged 70, have health problems. They need medical assistance every two days. “It gets even more complicated when it rains or snows,” their daughter, Aurelia Oglinda, said. “The ambulance can’t drive to their gate, so the doctor has to climb the hill in rubber boots.”

The solution – 15 years of trial

When the road was fenced off, Oniscenco had promised that he would build another one. It was said, but it was not even half done. At the municipal councillor’s order, a number of trucks brought in gravel, trying to build the new road; however, this new road, on which Oniscenco claims to have spent 15,000 lei, causes even more problems for people. “First of all, because the rocks are so big, the road is very dangerous,” Oglinda said. “If you fall and hit a rock, you can die instantly. Even on this new road of 15,000 lei the traffic of cars is impossible.”

 

Many times Oglinda tried to clarify the situation. The only solution seems to be a legal trial, a solution proposed by Oniscenco himself. He told her straight in her face that “we will have a trial for about 15 years, after which you will give up and have no more desire to look for justice. I am fully aware of what he meant. He has the money to buy off judges and I don’t,” Aurelia explained.

Dead person carried on a blanket

Again, because of Oniscenco and the road occupied by him, the neighbours of the Ciobanu family weren’t able to see off on their dead relative according to Christian ritual. The relatives and friends of the dead person carried the deceased not in a coffin, but on a blanket. This was the only way to transport the dead man to a car waiting down the valley.

In order to become the legal owner of the fenced territory, Oniscenco has recently filed a request at Mereni city hall asking for permission to purchase the portion of road around which he has built a two-metre fence. The Mayor of Mereni, Mihai Caragi, has confirmed to us Oniscenco’s request. After discussing with the Ciobanu family, the mayor admitted that Oniscenco did the wrong thing. When asked by Ziarul de Gardă, he confirmed that the road occupied by the councillor coming from Chişinău is public property. Even so, it still seems that the local authorities give priority to the municipal councillor, in relation to the citizens who have the right to use the road.

Oniscenco fenced not only the road, but also the well which is situated near his fence. “It was the well where from people got water for their cows,” Oglinda said. “For two years, we have had no place where to get water for our animals from.” Even if he claims this well was built by his grandfather, Ciobanu remembers drinking from the well since she was five and that was before the councillor’s grandparents lived in the village.

Oniscenco’s list

After promising the people of Mereni a new road, councillor Oniscenco made himself noticeable by his actions at Chişinău Municipal Council. Oniscenco has bragged about his special connections, thus trying to corrupt his CMC colleagues by promising them apartments in return for accepting an alliance with him. Councillor Raisa Padureau admitted that Oniscenco had tried to corrupt her a month ago by offering her two flats in Chişinău, one for her and one for her children. Moreover, in exchange for an alliance with councillor Oniscenco, Padureanu was also offered a job with a 500 euros salary and flexible working hours.

Councillor Doina Sulac was also set to be on Oniscenco’s priority list of housing, except for the fact that the councillor’s promises were only valid until his plan was revealed. According to the councillors that where about to be ‘housed’ by Oniscenco in new apartments ,the enterprise with which the councillor has good connections with is Agregat JSC.

Electoral promises

Former CMC president Mihai Ghimpu stated that Oniscenco is the one who has seriously promoted the interests of Agregat JSC. “This enterprise has not met its requirements,” Ghimpu said, pointing out the fact that its projects didn’t have success at the city hall. “Until then, the final reception processes of the apartments have not yet been signed yet. Thus, for two years, people don’t have their property papers in order,” the former CMC president also mentioned. He also reminded us of the fact that there are about 13 apartments that have not been put to use yet and seven pieces of land on which houses where supposed to be built. As far as Oniscenco is concerned, Ghimpu stated that he, as president of ‘Our Home Chişinău‘, had promised flats to the citizens on the eve of elections.

 

From Agregat JSC we have learned that no councillors are about to receive free apartments. All of the representatives of Agregat JSC administration have declared to Ziarul de Gardă that 600 enterprise employees are Oniscenco voters.

Who doesn’t respect his obligations?

When contacted by Ziarul de Gardă, Oniscenco remembered about the Mereni fenced road only after a long pause: “I haven’t taken anything because I live in Chişinău and not in Mereni,” the councillor told us. He also remembered the 15,000 lei road and his agreement with the mayor. Oniscenco also said that he doesn’t live in Mereni, but a cousin of his does, also named Oleg.

Oniscenco denied the favours he has offered to his CMC colleagues. He has also denied the offer he had made to Padurenu, even though she confirmed that she saw an apartment on Grecu Street proposed by Oniscenco. As for his relations with Agregat JSC, councillor Oniscenco stated that he has offered discussions many times regarding the problems of this enterprise at CMC meetings. “The company’s representatives say they have confronted the city hall’s clerks who don’t follow their obligations,” Oniscenco stated the reason why he is defending Agregat JSC.

100,000 families are still waiting for their apartments

As president of Our Home Chişinău, Oniscenco promised around 100,000 families that he will make their dream of having a house and a job come true. “The city of Chişinău will have the first dozens of thousands apartments in 2008-2009 on a 100 hectare territory. At the end of the project, the citizens of Chişinău will be provided with about 100,000 flats” – it is even written in capital letters on the business card of the association he is the head of.

When asked how many apartments he has, the councillor told us that he has only a two-room apartment in the Botanica sector on Cuza Voda Street, inherited from his parents.

Although he has made many promises, neither the former nor the present CMC president wished to comment on Onisenco’s promises and actions.

“The phenomenon of corruption in politics,” Eduard Musuc, current CMC president told us, when hearing for the first time about Onisenco’s promises, “does not lead to a political culture, but to its degradation.”

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