Former Health Minister Ala Nemerenco has commented on the controversy surrounding the employment of young political advisers in public institutions following an investigation into the case of Selinia Cojocari, a young woman reportedly employed simultaneously by three public institutions without having completed a university degree.
In a social media post, Nemerenco shared her own experience with hiring an adviser during her tenure at the Ministry of Health. She said the person had first been recommended by the party in 2019, and that his name resurfaced in 2021 during discussions about forming the ministry’s team.
According to Nemerenco, the arguments in favor of hiring the young man included the need to promote a new generation and provide young people involved in political activity with opportunities to gain professional experience.
She said the adviser position did not require a competitive selection process and that the person hired had the necessary educational qualifications.
“It was in the middle of the pandemic and the workload was extremely high. He did not advise me, because he did not have the experience and education necessary to guide a minister or state secretaries on policies and strategies, but I entrusted him with various concrete tasks,” Nemerenco wrote.
The former health minister said their professional relationship deteriorated after a ministry official was appointed head of the minister’s cabinet. According to Nemerenco, the adviser had expected to be promoted and, dissatisfied with the decision, resigned.
She said that after leaving the ministry, the former adviser attempted to return, but his request was rejected.
Nemerenco also accused him of conducting a three-year campaign to discredit her through public statements and repeated requests for information from the ministry.
In the same post, the former minister said that during the same period she had also been recommended a young woman for a position as an assistant or adviser, but she refused to hire her.
Referring to the widely discussed case of Selinia Cojocari, Nemerenco questioned the criteria used to employ her at state institutions.
“If this young woman had not been a party activist, would she have ended up being employed by ministries, even alongside ministers, straight out of high school, contrary to legal requirements?” the former minister asked.
Nemerenco added that, following her experience with the former adviser, two adviser positions at the Ministry of Health remained vacant until the end of her tenure.
Nemerenco did not identify the former adviser by name. However, Ștefan Botnar worked for approximately one year as an adviser in the Health Minister’s Cabinet.
Due to staff shortages, he reportedly also performed the duties of head of the cabinet. Botnar is a family and emergency medicine doctor who practiced medicine in Barcelona, Spain, before joining the Ministry of Health.
He was appointed by ministerial order, with his responsibilities including supporting the minister’s work, monitoring the implementation of decisions, and organizing ministry meetings and commissions.
He later publicly criticized Ala Nemerenco, accusing her of poor communication and professional disregard, despite having been appointed by her.