The executive director of the radio station “Vocea Basarabiei” Veaceslav Tibuleac refuted the accusations concerning a ‘raider attack’ on the station made by shareholder Valeriu Saharneanu, saying they are aimed at denigrating the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM) and its leader Vlad Filat. In a news conference at IPN, Tibuleac stated that an order was made to defame Filat in the current election campaign.
“We regret these statements that affected the personnel of the radio station and the station itself,” stated Veaceslav Tibuleac. According to him, at the start of this year, the broadcast license of the station was conceded to another institution because “Vocea Basarabiei” has been close to bankruptcy for two years. As a result, the station’s studio was renovated and eight smaller radio stations were extended.
The director also said that Valeriu Saharneanu didn’t take part in the management of the station and in finding solutions for paying the station’s debts, which totaled thousands of lei before the broadcast license was conceded. On the other hand, Valeriu Saharneanu campaigned for the Liberal Party and then for the Liberal Reformist Party, of which he is now a member, on the radio.
Veaceslav Tibuleac said the statements that the station’s editorial policy changed after the conceding of the license and the employees are pressed into supporting a party are false. All the details about the concession procedure will be made public in a news conference next week. The director noted that he does not own a house bought by Vlad Filat, as Valeriu Saharneanu asserted.
Presenter Maria Stoianov said that since she started work at “Vocea Basarabiei”, she has never been influenced to support one party or another. “We are indignant at Valeriu Saharneanu’s impudence to misinform the public about the so-called raider attack. On the contrary, we consider that “Vocea Basarabiei”, owing to the solidarity of its employees, managed to resist raider-like attacks by which Saharneanu aimed to gain control over this broadcaster,” she stated.
In a statement, employees of the station demand that Valeriu Saharneanu should immediately refute his groundless accusations.
