Officially, in the Republic of Moldova, there are four accommodation units that received the highest ranking in the hotel area, 5 stars. Hotel Nobil belongs, through intermediaries, to first deputy president DP, Vladimir Plahotniuc, held through OTIV Prime Hospitality and Finpar Invest companies. With the last of them, recently implicated in several scandals, former deputy denied having any connection. Prezident Hotel, previously bound to the name of Socialist leader, Igor Dodon, is registered on a company whose founder is originally from Sadova, politician home town. Club Royal Park Hotel belongs to off-shores, but, officially, is Gargalîc’s family, known in mundane world for excentrism when they appear in public. Finally, Maxim Pasha Hotel is registered on Zaporojan family, who also has furniture businesses. Other two hotels recommended as being 5 stars did not receive the act of classification that would confirm their requirements, and one of them is now working illegally, say representatives of the Tourism Agency.

The hotel business in the rep. of Moldova is managed by the Tourism Agency, and at the basis of the activity lies the Government Decision nr.643, from 27^th of May 2003, which is regulating almost completely the hotel business. Official information on the website of the Tourism Agency show that, in the rep. of Moldova, are operating four 5-star hotels (the calculation excluding pensions, no), working in accordance with law. Two other accommodation unites which are recommended as being from this category, although Tourism Agency has not issued an attestation confirming the claims of applicants. So that, the Weekend Boutique Hotel holds only the certification of 4 stars, but the Hotel Savoy does not hold, at all, an act of classification.

Finpar Invest at Nobil Hotel

Hotel Nobil Luxury Boutique Hotel (Nobil, No) on Eminescu street from Chisinau belongs, and it is not a secret, to first deputy president of DP, Plahotniuc. “Nobil Hotel is one of the investments which I am proud of”, he was saying, in 2010, in an interview for the newspaper Timpul. Officially, the hotel belongs to Foreign Capital Enterprise (FCE) “NOBIL-CLUB” Ltd and was founded on October 8, 1999, as manager being engaged Olga Iftodii, who worked from the beginning at the accommodation unit, being subsequently advanced. It is based on Stefan cel Mare street, 132. It is founded by the company OTIV PRIME HOSPITALITY B.V. (OTIV – initials of Plahotniuc family members: Oxana, Timofei, Inochentie and Vladimir, Nr), headquartered in Netherlands with a social subscribed capital of 4.9 million lei. Company in the Netherlands has established two other Ltd-s, also linked to the name of former First Deputy of Parliament: FCE  “DRIVE” Ltd., which owns the nightclub with the same name, and also FCE CODRU HOSPITALITY Ltd, which owns the hotel Codru, privatized at a price of nothing, in 2008.

The surprise comes, however, from the name of the owner of the land on which the hotel is built. According to information from the Cadastre, land on Eminescu Street 49/1 belongs to FCE Finpar Invest SRL. He officially joined Ltd-s possession on June 24, 2009, pursuant to a contract of sale-purchase. Invest Finpar company was the one that obtained, from the Town Hall, all permits for construction of the hotel, in the early 2000. In fact, initially, according to the minutes of final acceptance, signed in October 2008, Nobil was qualified as a mini-hotel. To note that, in 2006, the hotel was also registered at Cadastre on   the company Finpar Invest, based on a decision of the CivilCollege and Administrative Court of Appeal Chisinau, from June 2006. Such a decision, however, is missing on the institution’s website.

Hotel used for loans of millions

The land on which the Nobil hotel is built was repeatedly subject to mortgage contracts, being used as collateral to obtain several loans from Victoribank, financial institution previously also affiliated to Vlad Plahotniuc. So that, in 2007, the company Finpar Invest took 75 million lei from Victoribank, in January 2008, 800 thousand USD (about 10 mln. lei, no), a month later, attention, 100 million. lei (!), and in July 2008, another 64 million. lei. In total, therefore, about 250 million. lei. Theoretically, this money were returned to the bank from 2009, the period when contracts expired.

Invest Finpar company has a highly productive past, but also a highly-publicized present. Recently, it has been involved in a lawsuit with the City Hall Chisinau, winning the two islands, and then, also the land near them, all from the Park La Izvor.  At the end of 2013, the company obtained, through a court decision, the former cafe Guguţă. In the press, Vlad Plahotniuc denied having anything to do with this company, although also in the media was reported that, at the beginnings, from 1993, it belonged to his wife, Oxana Childescu, later, having as a shareholder Vera Morozan, ex-MP sister. Company Invest Finpar is run by Genadie Sajin and is headquartered on Ştefan cel Mare street 132, where is also the company that owns the hotel Nobil.

Prezident Hotel and Sadova of Dodon

Hotel Prezident, on Dacia Blvd, right at the entrance in Chisinau, was linked, on several occasions, to the name of Igor Dodon, current leader of the Socialist Party from rep. of Moldova (SPRM).”To somehow disprove the rumors that allegedly “Prezident Hotel”, on the way to the airport, is only registered on his brother’s name but actually belongs to Igor Nikolayevich”, was saying, in summer, deputy Veronica Abramciuc, criticizing Dodon for the way he was managing the party to which she belonged. However, officially, at least now (do not yet know the company’s history, no), luxury hotel is managed by the company Almani Lux Ltd, registered in December 2007. After the hotel construction, company’s headquarters, is right inside the complex, on Blvd. Dacia 58/5, as the administrator and single founder beeing Tatiana Pârţac Dumitru, whose name, at first sight, seems to be unnamed.

However, I found out that she originates from the village Sadova, Calarasi, a town where was also born politician Igor Dodon. People from the village, including representatives of the local City Hall, were unable to confirm any family relationship between the two families, Dodon and Partac, being “just friends and villagers. “People from Sadova say that Tatiana Partac, although living in Chisinau, is coming to the village. They could not tell us from where would Tatiana Partac have the money to built one of the most luxurious hotels in rep. of Moldova, “her mother being among the first who went to work to Italy, her brother is working in Italy, and her father was a professor of physical culture, a very good man”. Villagers know Tatiana Partac as beeing the manager of the hotel Prezident, not also its owner.

Loan of millions and Dodon confusion

The land on which the hotel is built, finished in 2011, also belongs to the company Almani Lux. Just that, in cadastral documents, in 2011, before the commissioning of the hotel, this company was located on St. Ioan Livescu from Buiucani. On that address is a home of millions, which changed owners several times over the past ten years. The current owners are spouses Eduard and Elena Miron which, at first glance, have nothing to do with socialist Igor Dodon. Pârţac Tatiana name appears in several lawsuits, in one of them, along with some Alexandru Dodon, similar name with the brother of Igor Dodon. The reason of the process is 250 thousand USD (about 3 mln. lei, no), which Tatiana Pârţac claims that she borrowed, in 2006, to Ion Lari and Anatol Cojocaru. In 2011, she even filed a criminal complaint on behalf of the two. After several complaints and after the prosecution on behalf of the two was or terminated, or resumed, in December 2013, by a decision of the trial, the prosecution was however discontinued. Now there is only one civil case, at first instance, between parties. Petru Plamadeala, Ion Lari’s lawyer, after speaking with his client, informed us that he does not wish to talk to us about the case. The lawyer could not tell us whether Alexandru Dodon, whose name appears in the file, is or not the brother of Igor Dodon and whether he has anything to do with the PSRM leader. ZdG will return to this topic in future editions.

Contacted by ZdG, Igor Dodon smiled when I told him what I would like to discuss. “I have no connection with the hotel, except that I did the birthday of my children there once. They talked also Ghimpu about the fact that its my hotel, but its rubbish. There is the owner Dodon Alexandru, a businessman from Sadova. Yes, and Tatiana Partac. I have a brother, Alexandru Dodon, who is younger than me by a year and a half. Not that Alexandru Dodon from the hotel. I have nothing in common with these Dodon, because half our villagers (in Sadova, no), have the surname Dodon. It’s a confusion linked to my brother’s name. I have nothing to do with the hotel. What I have, I have. About the house, I recognized, I called you to come and shoot, do not jump over the fence”, said the PSRM leader.

Gargalîc, off-shores, Order of the Republic

Club Royal Park Hotel, another 5-star accommodation unit, in CoastPark of “Valley of Roses”, belongs to Andrew and Lada Gargalic spouses.

The two have appeared frequently in the fashionable magazines were presented as hotel owners, and also as being a “splash of color of the mundane life that impress both through their fine outfits, and the way of maintaining a conversation. However, in primary documents, the name of Andrei Gargalîc does not appear.

Appears, but, only as administrator of the company FCE “CLUB ROYAL PARK COMPANY” Ltd, which manages the hotel, Lada Garlic. The holding company is founded by two entities from an offshore area, Cyprus: KYRIANT TRADING LIMITED and LITHOVIA TRADING Ltd.

The first is the founder of two other Ltd-s. And this hotel (or what was on the actual land then, no), as Nobil, was used, in 2005-2007, as collateral, also at Victoribank, to obtain loans of several hundred million lei. Back then, the building did not belong to the company that now owns the hotel, but to other Ltd-s, but also founded by the family Gargalic.

Maxim Pasha Hotel, nearby South Station, appears in the property of Ltd MAXPASA company, founded and run, since 2008, by Igor Zaporojan. The land on which is built the hotel belongs to Zaporojan Igor’s father, businessman Paul Zaporojan. He also appears as a founder of Furniture Factory “Almira”. Pavel Zaporojan is the founder of several churches and monasteries of Orthodox Church in rep. of Moldova, and owner of several religious orders. Moreover, in 2012, Pavel Zaporojan was awarded, as the founder of the Diocese of Edinet and Briceni, with “Order of the Republic”, state supreme distinction.

Illegality of 5 stars

At least two other hotels in Chisinau are recommended as 5 stars, although the information provided by the Tourism Agency contradict them: Hotel Savoy on St. Mateevici and Weekend Boutique Hotel, on St. Aroborilor. Savoy Hotel, owned by the company “RESIDENCE PARK“ Ltd, founded and managed by Emanoil Barbaiani. This hotel does not have a document classification issued by the Tourism Agency. “I think, in 2013, the hotel representatives applied to get 5 stars classification, but did not comply. Below that, they did not want to receive and did not come” declared Andrei Nica, senior consultant in the Department of the Tourism Development at Tourism Agency.

“The hotel operates illegally in these circumstances. As far as I know, he is accommodating tourists even now. According to the Government Decision no. 643, the activity of unclassified structures is prohibited. There are a number of rules, penalties, under the Criminal Code, for that. Law enforcement should handle the case”, continued Nica. A hotel representative who answered the phone told us that she can not provide information on the subject, because the owners are missing, who are Romanian and will be in Chisinau in 20 days, they are the only ones who could give us details about the act of hotel classification.

Hotel believed 5 star

Another hotel that presents itself as 5-star is Weekend Boutique Hotel, on Street Arborilor. On many specialized sites, including its website, the hotel appears to be a 5 star service provider, except that on the site of the Tourism Agency, the hotel is classified as 4 star, as confirmed by Agency staff. Hotel is registered on company KIWIBAN Ltd, hounded and managed by Alexander Kilovatîi, who appears as a founder in another four companies. He is the son of Leonid Kilovatîi, the one who owns, through the company Leutis Ltd, shopping and leisure center Sun City, but other companies too, such as Ltd Kilogrin, which, in autumn 2006, was receiving from the then communist government, the right to build on land near the Circus, an Olympic Stadium, stadium that was not built.

Representatives of the hotel, asked by ZdG to explain the ambiguities arose regarding  the accommodation unit classification, after we explained what we would like to materialize, we were told that, in fact, the hotel is 4 stars and not 5. The person who answered the only phone number accessible on hotel website could not tell us why on several web-sites, including one’s own, the hotel is described as 5 star and not 4, as has in reality.

Victor MOSNEAG