The Ministry failed to assess and register 334.3 thousand hectares of forest fund lands, which led to a distortion of the value of the state share in the capital of subordinate forest enterprises, “which led to a distortion of the value of the state share in the capital of these enterprises”. Today the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Moldova presented a report on the audit of the sectoral agency for 2025.
It was also found that “some forest lands were leased out without proper reflection in accounting reports, and in some cases – without full definition of boundaries and registration in the Real Estate Register”. These deficiencies create risks to land use management and control, as well as potential uncertainty over the integrity of state property, the SP said.
You can’t see the forest for the trees
Earlier, an audit by the Environment Ministry found that the undervaluation of the forest fund had distorted the value of the state share in the capital of forest enterprises by between MDL 3.8 billion and MDL 24.5 billion. The state literally “does not see” the real value of its resources. If the land is not valued and is not on the balance sheet, the capitalization of state enterprises looks many times less than it really is.
Lack of transparent accounting allows third parties to illegally use forest land (sublease, construction of buildings). When land is “invisible” for accounting, it is easier to illegally lease it, change its purpose or even privatize it through gray schemes, since it is not officially recorded as a high-value asset.
As a result of these violations, the Accounts Chamber expressed its opinion with reservations, pointing to the need for a complete inventory and assessment of the forest fund.
