Unforeseen controls made at fuel supply stations in Moldova

Chisinau, 11 May /MOLDPRES/ - The State Inspectorate for Consumers’ Protection has started unforeseen controls with trap cars at fuel supply stations, in order to see whether the quality of fuels meets the standards and whether the quantity of fuel poured meets the purchased one.    

The head of the parliamentary commission for economy, budget and finances, Radu Marian, said that these unforeseen controls had been possible due to amendments recently approved by the parliament.   

“The trap car represents a project developed by the Inspectorate, in coordination with the competent ministry. The vehicle has set a measurement system which establishes the quantity of the volume poured in the hidden recipient, as well as other indexes,’’ Marian said.    

According to the MP, due to this mechanism, the first infringements have been already found out, such as: use of deteriorated fuel distributors (the others deliberately), in order to regulate the dose of fuel delivered to consumers and deceive them, so as to accumulate reserves of oil products and afterwards sell them in illegal conditions, in order to evade the payment of taxes.  

Also, non-conforming oil products were detected, with water content or which do not meet the quality requirements. Non-conformities were found at three out of four economic agents: -170 millilitres per 10 litres, -80 millilitres and, respectively, -70 millilitres per 10 litres of fuel, which exceeds the legal norm of +-0.5 per cent.   

Decision-makers found out cases when oil products sold as additives are, in fact, standard products; thus, they evade the regulated price for standards products.    

The companies caught with infringements were fined.