Strengthening of the State's economic security and violations at repaying the value-added tax to economic operators were the main issues considered on Wednesday afternoon at the Supreme Security Council (SSC) meeting chaired by Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin.

The forum scrutinized the criminal schemes used by some corporations at paying the VAT and at repaying the tax by the State. The schemes involved the so-called "phantom companies" [established for one or several days to carry out one shady operation and to vanish overnight] and some commercial banks.

The President remarked such operations are impossible to carry out without assistance by controlling state organs. In his words, such violations of the tax legislation inflict huge damage to the State Budget. As a result, the Government short-receives considerable sums that are illicitly repaid to wrongdoers and that could otherwise be used for social and other needs.

The head of state demanded to urgently draft amendments to the corresponding legislation and to the mechanism of paying the VAT and repaying it to economic operators. He called upon responsible institutions to strengthen their interaction with financial structures to improve control of illicit operations and to root them out.

The Supreme Security Council decided to brisk up the work of the State Commission for VAT Repayment, including through upgrading the responsibility of each Commission member and through including officers from the Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (CCECC) and the Information and Security Service into it.

The SSC spoke out for dismissing Sergiu Puscuta as CCECC Director and Tatiana Loghin as Director of the National Tax Inspectorate.

Your Infotag correspondents interviewed several Moldovan politicians to hear their reaction to the SSC's proposal and to the Government's decision that followed practically instantly after it - to dismiss Puscuta and Loghin.

The Gagauzia Bashkan [Governor], member of the Government of Moldova Mikhail Formuzal said he did not know the exact reason of removing Sergiu Puscuta from such a sensitive post, "but I presume he may well come back to the National Tax Inspectorate. With an account of Puscuta's character and mentality, the Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption was not quite suitable a place for him. With his intelligence, mild character and analytical mind, Sergiu Puscuta is more fit for the Tax Inspectorate".

Liberal Democratic Party leader MP Vladimir Filat remarked an interesting thing: since the Communists have come into state power in 2001, all Moldovan state officials resign exclusively "on their own accord, by tendering resignations de-jure themselves, but everyone in Moldova knows that write such applications by demand of the country's top leadership. In this particular case, Puscuta and Loghin were dismissed most probably because they had failed to fulfill the orders of the country leadership, who care only about their personal interests and about keeping Moldovan businesses under their close control".

"And, of course, one of the chief reasons of their departure is the approaching parliamentary election. The CCECC and the National Tax Inspectorate are very essential structures able to control politicians and political parties as well as economic operators that have a relation to political processes taking place in the republic", Filat said.

He voiced confidence these two state structures will not remain without new bosses long: "No doubt, the Communist leadership will find a necessary replacement - 'young technocrats', who will be fulfilling any orders of the ruling party without a twinge of conscience".

Liberal Party Chairman Mihai Ghimpu is convinced Puscuta and Loghin left the posts not voluntarily, and "I presume Moldova should not have such center, the CCECC, as such because it is a state inside a state, a reliable instrument that works out and applies sanctions on anybody who fails to meet the ruling party's interests".

Ghimpu presumes that the vacancy in the CCECC may well be filled with Valentin Mejinschi, who once headed the Center already, but then was promoted to head the Ministry of the Interior, replacing the then minister, Gheorghe Papuc. Now Papuc is Minister of the Interior again, and Mejinschi has been promoted as a Deputy Prime Minister.

Yet Sergiu Puscuta stated to your Infotag correspondent he had retired from the Center himself. Asked what he is going to do next, Puscuta replied, "So far - nothing... I'll take a rest, will look around and think, and then I'll decide something".