The National Integrity Authority (ANI) has refused to initiate a control of the assets and personal interests of the incumbent governor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit (ATU) of Gagauzia Irina Vlah, whose “elite wardrobe” was recently written about in the regional press.

“During the period under review, in terms of changes in assets, it was found that during her mandate as governor (bashkan) of the ATU Gagauzia, Irina Vlah did not purchase movable and/or immovable property, and any other expenses incurred did not exceed the income obtained for this period,” concluded the integrity inspector to whom the complaint was randomly assigned regarding the functioning.

According to the complaint registered by ANI at the end of June, Irina Vlah would have incurred expenses that would considerably exceed her annual income by purchasing clothes, jewellery and accessories. At the same time, the complaint mentioned that, according to the declaration of wealth and personal interests filed for the 2022 tax year, the subject of the declaration indicated a real estate property with a surface of 113 m2, obtained by donation contract.

“Following access to the State Register of Population, it was established that Irina Vlah is not married and has no minor children as dependents, but in the annual declaration, filed for the 2022 tax year, in the section “General information on the subject of the declaration”, in the box “Name, surname, patronymic, year of birth and identification number of dependents”, she indicated XXXXX who, in relation to the subject of verification, has the quality of a close person “child”,” ANI notes in the report of refusal to initiate the control.

According to the integrity inspector, during the period of his second mandate, Vlah obtained by donation contract a real estate property with a surface of 113 m2 and a non-locative room with a surface of 21,5 m2.

“On 19.06.2023, in the Authority was registered under No. 5351 the reply/explanation of the subject of verification by which he communicated that the jewellery, accessories and clothes referred to in the journalistic material, were purchased during the last 18 years, attaching in this regard also informative materials on the possession of certain property also in the period 2013-2016. Irina Vlah also specified that she does not own assets in the form of metals and/or precious stones whose unit value exceeds the amount of 15 average monthly salaries on the economy, which would be the subject of the declaration,” the document issued by ANI on 23 June states.

Regarding the real estate property obtained through a donation contract, declared by the incumbent governor, the integrity inspector mentions that Irina Vlah’s mother obtained the property right on the basis of a sale-purchase contract in July 2015. Subsequently, by the donation contract of 23 September 2020, she donated the real estate to her daughter Irina Vlah.

“On this matter, the subject of verification submitted supporting documents confirming the financial availability of Mrs. XXXXX (Irina Vlah’s mother n.r.) in the purchase of the listed property, a fact also confirmed by the State Tax Service.

According to the available information, Irina Vlah’s daughter obtained ownership of a real estate property with an area of 91.1 m2 on the basis of the donation contract dated 11.10.2019. As a result of the actions taken, it was found that the donor had financial means at his disposal when procuring the said real estate,” according to ANI.

The incumbent Bashkan (Governor of Gagauzia) published on 6 June on social media the document informing her that the preliminary verification of the complaint had been carried out and requesting information about the property she owns.

“This is not a surprise for me! After demolishing the Moldovan political right through sickening egoism and envy, Maia Grigorievna (Maia Sandu, e.d.) is moving to the centre-left. She is confusing all her political opponents on her way to her second term, which she is frantically dreaming of”, Irina Vlah wrote at the time.

Reached by ZdG, representatives of the presidency said “the presidential institution does not comment on the accusations.”

And the authority then came up with a reaction to the post of the acting bașcana Irina Vlah, “which indicates the indirect message that ANI reacted at the command of the Presidency”.

Vlah has, according to an analysis by Nokta journalists, more than 40 different jackets costing from 200 euros each, jewellery worth 2,000 dollars, five pairs of Swiss watches worth hundreds and thousands of euros and glasses worth 1,400 euros. The incumbent Bashkan of Gagauzia wore clothes, jewellery and accessories in 2022 that cost more than her annual salary, which last year was 296,000 lei or about 15,000 euros, the source added.

Nokta analysed all the photos posted by Vlah on social media in 2022 and found at least 14 different pieces of jewellery made of jewellery-like stones and metals. None of these were included by the Bashkan in her 2022 statement of assets and personal interests or in previous years’ statements.