Vasily Bolya spoke about salary increases for Moldovan officials under President Maia Sandu on Minsk Radio on July 24, 2024.
“People saw that the good times that Maia Sandu spoke about, that they would come for everyone, that pensioners would have a minimum pension of 2,000 lei, did not come. This came true for her ministers, whose salaries were raised 20 times, can you imagine, 20 times? From 15,000 lei to 75–100,000 lei,” Bolya claimed.
However, our investigation found that if the ministers' salaries had been raised 20 times from 15,000 lei, the new salary would've been 300,000 lei, not 75-100,000 lei as stated by the parliamentarian. Currently, 100,000 lei is approximately €5,000.
According to official statistics, the salary for Moldovan deputies and ministers was just over 18,000 lei in 2018–2021, rising to 19,500 lei in 2022. Last year, ministers’ pay was increased by 2.5 times to around 50,000 lei, or €2,600, in an effort to attract professionals. The salaries of the president, prime minister, and deputies remain around €1,000.
Under Maia Sandu, the average salary of Moldovans increased from €400 to €680. In Belarus, during the same period, the average salary reached lower levels — around €600. Belarusian deputies earn more than Moldovan ones — around €1,500. We did not find information on the earnings of ministers in Belarus.
Under President Sandu, the average Moldovan salary has increased from €400 to €680. In the same period, the average salary in Belarus reached around €600. Belarusian deputies earn more than their Moldovan counterparts, around €1,500, but information on Belarusian ministers’ salaries was not available.