Gheorghe Mihai - new chief of Moldovan intelligence agency

September 28, 2009

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The 53-strong majority Alliance for European Integration in the Moldovan Parliament on Friday dismissed Artur Reshetnikov from the post of Director of the Information and Security Service (ISS) and appointed colonel Gheorghe Mihai a new security chief.

Gheorghe Mihai, a 59-year-old former ISS officer, was sworn in immediately after appointment, and started fulfilling his duties.

Outside the parliament room, he stated to waiting journalists that Moldova's special services shall be working in strict accordance with norms and standards of a law-governed state, and "we shall be ensuring security and interests of the Moldovan state according to the Constitution and laws".

Speaker Mihai Ghimpu said in parliament on Friday that the Republic of Moldova had long needed an ISS director who would spare citizens of fear, so that they could be sure nobody is persecuting them or tapping their phones.

"Gheorghe Mihai is a real professional, an intellectual who understands that freedom and human rights are key", Ghimpu said.

Gheorghe Mihai graduated from Moldova Technical University, and started his career as a motor engineer at a Briceni town enterprise of the state fruit and vegetable processing corporation. He then served in the Soviet army, and back home was invited to work as chief of the industry, construction and transport department at the Briceni raion committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Eventually Mihai became a KGB officer, and was sent for studying to the KGB high school in Minsk (Belarus), which he graduated from in 1979. Subsequently he was KGB Chief of the Hincesti raion, and eventually grew up to the Head of the Operative Department at the Information and Security Service (ISS). In December 2007, he was dismissed from service and enlisted in the ISS reserve.

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