Moldova

Black Book of Public Money Waste 2025

The "Black Book of Public Money Waste in the Republic of Moldova, 2025 edition" has reached its seventh edition and was released at the Media Forum, which took place on December 8 and 9. This year's edition features ten journalistic investigations, four of which were conducted by journalists from the national press, and the other six by journalists from the regional and local press, who documented cases of fraudulent use of public money and financial assistance from external donors, inadequate management of public assets, purchases carried out in violation of the law, and poor-quality or unfinished work. The project was launched in 2019 by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Germany.

"Investigative journalism brings with it a lot of hate, a lot of attacks, a lot of criticism, a lot of enemies, a lot of animosity, and no one to defend you. We cannot protect you either, but at least we can appreciate your work. And I think that's what this is all about, when we gather every year to appreciate your work and show you that we really care and that we see you. We will definitely hold the next edition in 2026," said Raimar Wagner, project director of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom's Office for Romania and the Republic of Moldova, during the event. 

"In recent years, there have been an increasing number of journalistic investigations into cross-border or EU-funded projects that have been partially compromised or inefficiently executed due to vested interests, incompetence, or other factors. For the current edition, journalists have documented at least three such cases, which shows that there is still a need for careful monitoring of development projects and constant information for communities in the event of any irregularities," says Sergiu Boghean, project coordinator at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Romania and Moldova Office.

The project is implemented in partnership with the Independent Press Association (API). API Executive Director Petru Macovei also confirmed that "these are well-documented materials that reveal very serious cases of misuse of public funds."

The book's editor, Viorica Zaharia, believes that this project has become a tool for fighting corruption.

"This year we have more investigations than last year. I hope that one day it will become a factor in reducing corruption in the Republic of Moldova. We continue to see a crucial role for journalists in the regions in identifying topics, especially with regard to the waste of public money. In recent years, we have had more and more investigations, as we initially intended, to see how European funds are being spent. Unfortunately, more and more investments by the European Union and other donors are not being managed efficiently because projects have not been completed or the work has been of poor quality. It is important to point this out every time. Perhaps next year it will not happen again. The quality of the topics is becoming increasingly complex and better, for which I congratulate my colleagues, because it is entirely to their credit," said Viorica Zaharia at the launch event.

According to Petru Macovei, this year's edition of the book will also be sent personally to each member of the Moldovan Parliament and distributed to public institutions, local authorities, control bodies, diplomats and international organizations, other institutions and interested parties.

The entire collection of the "Black Book of Public Money Waste in the Republic of Moldova" can be accessed HERE.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany as part of the project "Developing Cooperation with Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries and Russia."