The Salaries and Purchases Made by the Presidents of Moldova’s Courts

The heads of the main courts in the country received generous salaries and donations, and also bought new cars. ZdG analyzed the declaration of assets and personal interests of presidents of the main courts in the country, and concluded that their purchases were modest. We also noticed that they cashed in fat checks for a country labeled as the poorest nation in Europe.

The interim president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Vladimir Timofti, had in 2019 one of the biggest salaries among the court presidents in the country, mentioning a salary of over 1,700 euros monthly. In 2019, he of also received a pension of over 8,000 euros. He made no purchases, but sold a VAZ model car, manufactured in 1984.

The interim president of the Civil, Commercial and Administrative Contentious College from the Supreme Court of Justice, Tamara Chișca-Doneva, received a salary and a pension amounting to over 25,000 euros. She also contracted a debt of over 1,000 euros. 

Iurie Diaconu , interim president of the Criminal Court of the Supreme Court of Justice, did not make any purchases last year. He mentions in his declaration of assets and personal interests a salary of over 19,000 that it is 1,600 euros monthly. He also received a pension of over 8,000 euros. 

According to the declarations of assets and personal interests presented to the National Integrity Authority, neither the head of the Chișinău Court of Appeal made any important acquisitions in 2019.

Lidia Bulgac is the president of the Chișinău Court of Appeal since August 2019. She had a monthly salary of over 1,200 euros, and a pension of over 6,700 euros. She also received an allowance of 60 euros.

The vice-president of the Chișinău Court of Appeal Nelea Budăi received a monthly salary of over 1,600 euros, and a pension of around 15,000 euros. 

The deputy president of the Chișinău Court of Appeal, Iurie Iordan, received a monthly salary of over 1,600 euros. 

In 2019, his family has sold two cars, a Toyota Rav4 and a Toyota Corolla receiving revenues of over 13,000 euros. 

At the same time, the judge’s family purchased a new car, a Toyota Rav4 made in 2019, which he claims cost almost 26,000 euros. However, in the same year, the Iordan family contracted a debt of around 13,000 euros with an interest rate of 24.6 percent, which they have to return by 2021.

Last year, the president of the Bălți Court of Appeal, Alexandru Gheorghieș, received a salary of over 23,000 euros. He also received as a donation an 74.3 square apartment and a garage. In his declaration of assets, he mentioned that the goods amount to over 12,500 euros. 

The president of the Cahul Court of Appeal, Ruslan Petrov, had a monthly salary of over 1,300 euros. The president of the Comrat Court of Appeal, Grigori Colev, also received a monthly salary of over 1,300 euros. 

In June 2019, the entire leadership of the Chișinău Court was dismissed by a decision of the Superior Council of Magistracy.

The president of the court, Radu Țurcanu, obtained in court the annulment of the Superior Council of Magistracy decision to dismiss him. The deputy presidents of the Chișinău Court –  Ghenadie Pavliuc, Dorin Dulghierun, Vealeliu, Corneliuă, Vitaleliu were replaced by interim deputy presidents.

The president of Chișinău Court, Radu Țurcanu, received a monthly salary of over 1,400 euros, and over 2,800 euros from teaching. 

In 2019, the judge sold a car receiving over 6,700 euros and other 600 euros he obtained from lending a commercial space. 

Last year, the family of the president of the Chișinău Court became the owner of a Toyota Rav4 manufactured in 2017. The judge claims in the declaration of assets that the car amounts to over 17,000 euros. 

In 2019, Dorin Dulghieru, had an average monthly salary of over 1,000 euros. He also received 30,000 euros from a contract bond. 

Last year, he received seven agricultural lands as a donation and acquired  a Volkswagen Passat car manufactured in 2018, which he claims has a value of 21,500 euros. The car was purchased in leasing, with an interest rate of nine percent and an initial amount of 5,000 euros, following a contract signed by the judge with Victoria Leasing.

Ghenadie Pavliuc, received a monthly salary of over 1,200 euros, and around 800 euros from teaching at Moldova State University, the National Institute for Justice and the University of European Studies from Moldova. 

However, the judge’s family had revenues of almost 104,000 euros following several transactions. The judge sold an apartment with 35,000 euros and a BMW X3 for over 21,700 euros. Last year, the judge sold a Toyota RAV4 for over 18,300 euros and following two bond contracts, he sold two cars, reporting revenues of 23,633 euros.

In the first months of 2020, the judge bought a Renault Kadjar manufactured in 2016 and a Lexus NX 300h manufactured in 2017. The two cars amount to almost 39,000 euros. The family also received an inheritance of over 6,800 euros. 

Corneliu Guzun had a smaller salary in 2019. According to his declaration of assets and personal interests, he received a monthly salary of over 1,000 euros. He also received, last year, from his parents, a donation of 13,000 euros. 

Although he did not make purchases in 2019, the judge has contracted a debt of almost 26,000 euros at an interest rate of 11.11 percent, which he will return by 2029. 

Vitalie Stratan received a monthly salary of over 1,100 euros. 

The presidents of the district courts in the districts didn’t make significant acquisitions. They received salaries starting from 1,000 and reaching almost 2,000 euros. 

The president of the Căușeni Court, Sergiu Pleșca, sold a Toyota Avensis car, manufactured in 2005, with over 3,800 euros, and bought two other cars: a Toyota Aygo (2008), for which he paid over 2,800 euros, and a Kia Sportage (2013), which cost him over 13,000 euros.

The family of the judge, who already had to return a 5,000 euros debt by 2023, contracted a 10,000 euros debt that they will return by 2024. Pleșca received a monthly salary of over 1,500 euros. 

Igor Botezatu, vice president of the Comrat Court, received over a salary of 19,300 euros which is over 1,600 euros per month. He also received over 7,000 euros from teaching at the universities in Comrat and Cahul, South of Moldova. Last year, he inherited five agricultural lands, but also a house with garage.

One of the biggest salaries among the heads of the district courts receives the president of the Edineț Court, Lilia Țurcan. According to her declaration of assets and personal interests, she received a salary of over 21,500 euros, which is over 1,700 euros per month.