Moldova President Maia Sandu Rejects Role in Relative's MoldATSA Salary Scandal

President Maia Sandu said she had no involvement in the hiring of her cousin, Anastasia Taburceanu, as spokesperson for the state air carrier MoldATSA and learned of the case only through media reports. She expressed surprise at the reported monthly salary of about 120,000 lei plus bonuses, stating that such remuneration should be limited to air‑traffic controllers who bear safety responsibility.

Sandu described the payments as "immoral" and called for the public‑property agency and MoldATSA management to determine whether the bonuses had a legal basis and to recover the sums. She suggested that unrecoverable funds could be donated to social institutions. Taburceanu later announced her resignation and said she would return the amounts received. An investigation revealed she earned over one million lei in less than a year, earning roughly 120,000 lei per month in 2026.