PAS lawmaker Ilie Ionaș has returned to the public spotlight after his brother, Gheorghe Ionaș, was sanctioned by police following an altercation with a woman on July 12.
According to the General Police Inspectorate, officers responded to a 112 emergency call, documented the incident, and sanctioned Gheorghe Ionaș on July 15 in accordance with the law. Police also opened inquiries after information emerged about alleged similar incidents on May 8 and July 24, but said the allegations concerning the July 24 incident were not confirmed.
Moldova’s Wealthiest MP
Ilie Ionaș is widely regarded as the wealthiest member of Moldova’s Parliament. His 2025 asset declaration reveals a fortune largely built through investments and business activities in the United Kingdom, with total declared assets amounting to 257 million lei.
According to the declaration, his wealth is nearly six times larger than the annual budget of Costești, the town he previously served as mayor before entering Parliament. His portfolio includes properties in three countries, multiple investments, and shareholdings in companies that have carried out public procurement contracts worth almost 100 million lei.
Income from Business Far Exceeds Public Salary
Income from public office represents only a small share of the lawmaker’s earnings.
As a member of Parliament, Ilie Ionaș declared a salary of 27,811.54 lei, while his salary as mayor of Costești amounted to 289,495 lei for the year. The family also reported employment income from the United Kingdom totaling £12,900 (approximately 305,568 lei).
Most of the family’s income comes from dividends and rental revenue.
Ilie Ionaș declared dividends of £60,000 (around 1.41 million lei) from MD Holding Limited and £36,337.50 (approximately 853,034 lei) from MD Shield Holdings Limited. His wife reported identical dividend income from the same companies.
The declaration also includes rental income. Ilie Ionaș reported £10,000 from renting out a house in the UK, along with 718,080 lei generated through lease agreements managed by MD Developments (London) Limited – Costești Branch. His wife declared nearly 698,250 lei in leasing income, another £10,000 in rental income, as well as child benefit payments received in the United Kingdom.
Properties in the UK, UAE and Romania
The MP’s asset declaration lists several agricultural plots received as donations in 2004, alongside an extensive real estate portfolio.
His declared properties include:
- A house purchased in the United Kingdom in 2015 for £440,000 (about 10.3 million lei);
- A second UK residence acquired in 2020 for £1.85 million, now estimated to be worth £2.5 million (around 58.7 million lei);
- Three apartments in the United Arab Emirates, purchased in 2022 and valued at AED 1.389 million, AED 2.682 million, and AED 1.179 million, respectively;
- An apartment in Romania, purchased in 1998 for 10,000 Romanian lei, with a current estimated market value exceeding 611,000 Romanian lei;
- A house used under a loan-for-use agreement.
The declaration also notes that Ionaș uses a 2022 Land Rover, valued at 2.12 million lei, which is owned by a legal entity and used under another legal right of possession.
Multi-Million Financial Assets
Ilie Ionaș also declared substantial financial assets held in the United Kingdom, including pension funds and investment portfolios.
Among them are:
- Scottish Widows Workplace Pension – £252,704 (approximately 5.93 million lei);
- St James Place Pension – £176,257 (around 4.14 million lei);
- Octopus Apollo Venture Capital Trust – £69,195 (approximately 1.62 million lei);
- Scottish Widows ISA – £52,533 (about 1.23 million lei);
The declaration also lists several additional investments and bank accounts. In Moldova, he reported holding more than 542,900 lei in a current account at OTP Bank.
Public Contracts Worth Nearly 100 Million Lei
According to a public statement released by the MP, the Ionaș family is involved in 47 contracts with local public authorities across Moldova, with a combined value of 87.2 million lei.
In 2024, investigative outlet Moldova Curată reported that Service Tulis, a construction company managed by Ilie Ionaș’s mother, had won multiple public procurement tenders organized by Costești Town Hall since 2021, with contracts totaling approximately 19 million lei.
The company had also won public tenders before Ilie Ionaș became mayor.
Whenever Service Tulis participated in procurement procedures organized by Costești Town Hall, Ionaș submitted conflict-of-interest declarations to the National Integrity Authority (ANI), as required by law.
Commenting on the matter, the MP said he had no involvement in selecting the winning bidder and was not a member of the tender evaluation committee.
“I look at it from a different perspective—the legal possibility to participate in a tender and the legal possibility to win it. I do not see a moral problem,” Ilie Ionaș said.
inaș by banimdbanimd