Moldovan lawmakers have voted to appoint Romania’s ex-Finance Minister Anca Dragu as the country’s new central bank governor.
The move came after Octavian Armasu was dismissed from the position the previous day for failing to intervene in a 2014-15 bank-fraud scandal that resulted in the disappearance of $1 billion from Moldovan banks.
Ms Dragu, 51, is currently a lawmaker from the progressive Save Romania Union (USR). She served as finance minister between November 2015 and January 2017 and also served as Senate speaker.
She was sworn in as a Moldovan citizen on December 22, a step necessary for her to take up the appointment.
“It is a great honor for me to contribute to the European path of Moldova,” she said. “We need strong, independent institutions to ensure the country’s economic stability and prosperity for all citizens.”
She received a majority of 58 votes in the 101-seat chamber. Armasu was fired on Thursday following two years of discussions and failed attempts to recoup any of the $1 billion that was taken out of the banking system in the fraud scandal. At the time, the sum amounted to 12% of Moldova’s gross domestic product.
Former Moldovan president, pro-Russian Igor Dodon, voted against her calling it “a “betrayal of the interests of Moldova’s citizens”, on Telegram messenger.
The International Monetary Fund said on Friday that a “very quick” decision on Armasu’s dismissal raised concerns over due process.
