Late last year, an apparent banking scandal in the tiny European nation of Moldova has resulted in nearly $1 billion missing from the nation’s coffers. That’s approximately a one-eighth of the country’s gross domestic product, the poorest in all of Europe. For perspective, this would be the equivalent of $2 trillion suddenly disappearing from America’s reserves. The disappearance was apparently the outcome of a series of questionable loans issued to unknown recipients by the nation’s three major banking institutions, one of which was state-owned.

The nation’s officials have hired professional investigators to help ascertain how the money disappeared and who is responsible. Foreign agencies, like the US auditing firm Kroll have conducted their own investigations into the incident. In a report released late Monday night, Kroll implicated a Moldovan businessman in the scandal, but has recommended further investigation into the matter.

Understandably, Moldovans are furious with their government’s handling of the situation. Many believe the scandal to be symptomatic of the widespread corruption that has plagued the nation ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In a massive show of anger, over 10,000 Moldovans took to the streets on Sunday to protest; a large number as Moldova’s population is about 3.5 million. In recent years, there have been many pro-western politicians promising to pull Moldova closer to the European Union. Despite this, many critics claim the authorities have done very little to combat corruption.

Igor Botan, a Moldovan political analyst and a member of the grassroots movement that organized Sunday’s protest, has come to believe the most of the nation’s pro-western politicians were complicit in the crime. Botan was quoted as saying, “Our country is a poor and agrarian country, but it’s home to decent people who want their country to flourish, to be closer to European standards, and for it to find its economic niche alongside the European Union.”

FSA Connection Questions

• In the article, the author uses a quote from which prominent Moldovan politician?
• In the piece, the word “niche” means what?
• The author seems to offer what main idea?
• Select the best two sentences from the story that support the idea of Moldovans being angry with their government.
• What is the connotation of the word “grassroots” in the story?