VIDEO // Moldovan foreign affairs minister comments on case involving former ambassador to India

The Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) will present all necessary evidence during the examination of the case involving the former ambassador of Moldova to India, Ana Taban, in order to convince the court that all actions taken were in accordance with legal provisions. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi has made statements to this effect at a program broadcast on Radio Moldova.

The official emphasized that the situation concerning the former ambassador’s activity had from a string of complaints received both from inside and outside the embassy in New Delhi.

“Those complaints were extremely serious and it was necessary to dispatch an audit mission to verify and clarify the allegations made. Following the audit mission, serious financial irregularities were found which, according to the law, had to be forwarded to the relevant institutions – the National Anticorruption Center and the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office. Otherwise, I risked being accused of covering up the case and being liable, including criminally. Once the information was sent to the law enforcement institutions, it was considered that there were sufficient grounds – and this is for the Prosecutor’s Office to decide – to initiate a criminal case on the embezzlement of the concerned funds. Thus, when there is a criminal case regarding the embezzlement of funds in a diplomatic institution, the image and trust in the head of that institution suffer, which, in diplomacy, is an extremely sensitive matter. Therefore, this served as the basis for the recall from office,” Mihai Popsoi said.

The Deputy Prime Minister also presented the reason that created the basis for dismissing the former ambassador from her position.

“She repeatedly refused to complete her documents, in order to get access to state secrets. Now, carrying out the duties of an ambassador with special missions, without having access to state secrets, is complicated. After that, the concerned person decided to go on unpaid leave, without ensuring that it had been approved. We received that request a day or two later, when she had already left work without justification – which served as grounds for her dismissal, as it is the case with any employee in the public or private sector. We all know that a request for unpaid leave or any other absence from work must be approved. You do not have to be a lawyer to understand that absence from work without any justification is grounds for dismissal,” Mihai Popsoi noted.

In the context, the official reiterated that, in the activity of the MAE, he maintains zero tolerance for corruption, abuse of office and embezzlement of funds.

“She has every right to address the court. Moldova is a state governed by the rule of law, which means that the rights of each citizen are protected by law. This dispute, like any other, will be decided by the courts. We will certainly present the long chain of evidence that we have, in order to ensure and convince the court that we were right in all the actions we undertook, given that all steps provided by law were taken – whether it is the ministry’s evaluation and disciplinary commission or other bodies. Thus, everything was done strictly in accordance with the law. I state firmly that, at the ministry, as long as I am minister, there is zero tolerance for corruption, abuse and any other activities that are incompatible not only with public office, but also with the status of diplomat,” Mihai Popsoi also said.

The former ambassador of Moldova to India, Ana Taban, posted a video on social media on May 7, in which she said that she had been recalled from her position and subsequently dismissed from the MAE without grounds. Consequently, she filed a lawsuit against the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Ana Taban was appointed Ambassador of Moldova to India in early September 2023. The government ruled to recall her on August 6, 2025.