Money from National Ecological Fund for 2017 managed with violations

Chisinau, 27 June /MOLDPRES/- The financial resources from the National Ecological Fund (FEN) for the past year were managed with major deficiencies. The data were presented in a report, heard today at the Court of Accounts meeting.

According to the report, investment projects funded by the FEN were selected in the absence of competitiveness and priority criteria, and some of them did not meet eligibility criteria. At the same time, some projects have been approved with delay, while others have been examined urgently.

The court found that the distribution of funds FEN by approving project financing in several stages, is causing delays in their implementation and their non-completion risk, which can lead to inefficient use of public funds. In some cases, FEN has transferred the money, even though there were multiple shortcomings and non-conformities, such as the lack of necessary documents. At the same time, although the process of carrying out the works is monitored by several actors, it does not ensure the qualitative achievement of the works.

The audit also found that auctions were attended by one and the same economic operators. Thus, a total of 31 audit projects amounting to 534.1 million lei, 84.8 per cent or 453 million lei are contracts concluded with five economic operators.

According to the situation on 31 December 2017, the National Ecological Fund managed 345 investment projects, with the value of the entrepreneurial contracts of 3.29 billion lei, including the Fund's contribution - about 2.8 billion lei. At the same time, the FEN Administrative Council approved for financing 1.32 billion lei. FEN expenditures made in 2017 decreased by 50% compared to 2014. The level of use of the National Ecological Fund's means in 2017 accounted for 79.5%, being the lowest level of the last four years.

(Reporter N. Sandu, editor L. Alcază)