The general director of Teleradio-Moldova (TRM), Vlad Țurcanu, describes as “biased“ recent information appearing in the press after the media project Cu Sens published an investigation illustrating a series of suspicions of poor management of public money, as well as dissatisfaction among employees, which have arisen since TRM has new management. “In a few weeks, we will have hearings at the Parliamentary Commission for the Media to clarify the other findings of the Court of Auditors. Until then, I will waive the special financial clause in my contract with the institution,” Țurcanu wrote on his Facebook page.
According to the Cu Sens investigation, “The interests behind the scandals at TRM,” in December 2021, when new management was installed at the public broadcaster, several actions sparked a wave of discontent among employees. “Several scandals, dismissals, and lawsuits regarding reinstatement followed, as well as suspicions of mismanagement of public funds,” the article notes.
The investigation shows how the company’s corporate card, which is registered in the name of the general manager, was allegedly used by him for personal purposes. “I accompanied the CEO on official trips and was an eyewitness to moments when the corporate card was used for purchases in duty-free or other stores,” admits a former TRM employee to Cu Sens, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity.
The reporters’ data also shows that since Vlad Țurcanu’s appointment to the management position, the institution has almost constantly exceeded the initial budget allocated for protocol expenses. According to the figures in the investigation, in 2022, the budget increased from 39,800 lei to 100,000 lei, and in 2023, from 119,800 lei to 1.3 million lei. In 2024, of the 280,000 lei initially approved, 185,700 lei were used, and in 2025, although 150,000 lei were planned, 165,300 lei had already been spent in the first six months.
The journalistic investigation shows that the current general manager behaves in an unfair manner towards employees. “In my case, for example, he had to evaluate me — he evaluated me and I received the highest mark. When it came to my salary, because I wasn’t an ‘obedient boy” as Mr. Țurcanu says “because you talk too much,” I wasn’t given the maximum salary. I tried to ask why I wasn’t offered the full salary. “I decide. I, God, decide. I, my Majesty, decide,” Mircea Surdu, director of the “TeleFilm Chișinău” department at TRM, told Cu Sens journalists.
THE GENERAL MANAGER’S RESPONSE
In his defense, Vlad Țurcanu wrote a post on his Facebook page shortly after the investigation was published, claiming that “what is interpreted as personal use of the corporate card actually meant dozens of meetings, which included protocol gifts, with local and foreign experts, partners, and decision-makers in the early years of TRM’s activity, who helped the institution from an organizational, financial, and technological point of view. Those expenses subsequently brought us investments of hundreds of thousands of euros and saved many resources for the company, which was in a deep crisis.”
He also states that, until the hearings on the management of Teleradio-Moldova are held in Parliament, he is waiving the special clause in his employment contract, according to which TRM undertakes to pay him 364,000 lei at the end of his term of office, as well as compensation of up to 1.5 million lei in the event of early dismissal. “This clause is no longer relevant after the recent reintroduction into law, at the insistence of the Council of Europe, of the principle of irremovability,” according to the post.
Arcadie Gherasim, chairman of TRM’s Supervisory and Development Board, also tried to defend the institution’s management. “We do not deliberately detect irregularities. Questions usually arise within the Council when we have to approve certain expenses and when we have to ask for accountability for these expenses. Some members find the expenses excessive, others find them slightly higher but necessary,” he told Cu Sens.
Media Azi reported that a recent audit report by the Court of Auditors on the financial activity of TRM for 2023–2024 shows that the institution carried out activities and procedures that were not fully compliant with the applicable regulatory framework, which influenced the processes of budget planning, revenue and expenditure management, and public asset management.
Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei, chair of the Moldovan Parliament’s Committee on Culture, Education, Research, Youth, Sports, and Media, announced in a Facebook post that, after the report is officially submitted to the legislature, public hearings will be held within the committee, with the participation of the company’s management and the Supervisory Board. “We will ensure that all the recommendations in the report are implemented,” the MP wrote.