Maia Sandu to donate the EUR 30,000 prize from Timișoara

The President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu declared that the prize of 30,000 euros from Timișoara will be donated to a charity organization. “There is no problem of legality,” said Maia Sandu, Unimedia reports.

She said that it is an award given for European Values and that the jury members are respectable people whom she also respects, which is why she accepted the award. Maia Sandu emphasized that the money is still in Timisoara.

“There is an answer given by the CNA, which says that it is permitted by law to accept an award. We are not the first, nor the last. It’s not the first award I’ve received. There was another award two years ago, given by an organization in Norway, and that award was donated. There is no issue of legality. It is not an illegal thing”, declared Maia Sandu.

The National Anticorruption Center (CNA) from Chisinau reported, on January 23, that the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, can receive the 30,000 euro award recently offered by the municipality of Timisoara, as the term “award” is not found in the list of terms which are limited to the notion of “gift”.

On January 13, Maia Sandu received the “Timişoara for European Values” award, which is accompanied by the sum of 30,000 euros. The award disturbed Moscow, where the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zaharova, commented extensively on this topic, in her briefing on January 17, with accusations against Maia Sandu, who would facilitate the “colonization” of Moldova by Romania