Radio România Internațional

Tag: influence peddling

  • January 3, 2018 UPDATE

    January 3, 2018 UPDATE

    Prosecution — Anti-corruption prosecutors on Wednesday placed former Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Valeriu Zgonea, under judicial control, in a case in which he is prosecuted for influence peddling. According to prosecutors, between July 2012 and April 2013, while Zgonea was Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and vice-president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), another defendant, Dumitru Dobrica, promised him, and Zgonea accepted, undue benefits in exchange for using his influence upon some public servants, in order to appoint one of Dobrica’s relatives in an important public position. Investigators say that Zgonea received undue benefits of around 15 thousand euros. Also, Felicia Pop, office manager of the Minister for the Relation with Parliament, Viorel Ilie, was indicted by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for using directly or indirectly information that is not intended for public disclosure, or for allowing unauthorized access to such information, in a case regarding the organisation of a contest to hire civil servants on contractual positions.




    Resignation – The Romanian Minister of Waters and Forests, the Social Democrat Doina Pana, resigned on Wednesday, for medical reasons. Doina Pana will preserve, however, her position as Parliament member. She is Vice-President of the Parliament’s Committee for Environment and Ecological Balance and a member of the Romanian Parliament’s Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean. Doina Pana became a minister in June 2017, a position she also held in 2014.




    Budget — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday promulgated the state budget and the social security budget laws for 2018. However, he pointed to the laws’ vulnerabilities and to the challenges posed by the current fiscal and budget framework, given that Romania needs a credible and balanced budget that should consistently observe the fundamental objectives of macroeconomic stability, predictability and fiscal and budgetary sustainability. The 2018 budget is based on a 5.5% economic growth rate, an average annual inflation rate of 3.1%, an average currency exchange rate of 4.55 lei for one Euro and an average net monthly salary of 565 Euros. The budget deficit is estimated at 2.97% of the GDP, in keeping with the under 3% target. Also on Wednesday, Klaus Iohannis promulgated the Law on the revision of the Government’s emergency decree regarding the organisation and functioning of the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE).




    Chisinau — In the Republic of Moldova, the speaker of Parliament, with pro-western views, Adrian Candu, will take over the interim presidency from the pro-Russian president Igor Dodon, to sign the decree for appointing 7 new ministers. The announcement was made by the Parliament’s press office, after the Constitutional Court decided that the pro-Russian president Igor Dodon could be suspended again, following his repeated refusal to promulgate the government reshuffles. Radio Romania’s correspondents to Chisinau say this measure was already applied last October in the case of the appointment of the defense minister, Eugen Sturza. Prime Minister Pavel Filip announced the change of seven of the thirteen members of the government with the avowed purpose of boosting reforms. Among the nominees are also two former prime ministers, Iurie Leancă, proposed as deputy prime minister for European integration and Chiril Gaburici, who is to take over the Economy portfolio.




    Tennis — World no. 1, Simona Halep, on Wednesday defeated the Chinese Ying-Ying Duan (91 WTA), 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 and made it to the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament held in Shenzen, China, with almost 630 thousand dollars up for grabs. Thus Simona Halep keeps the 1st place in the WTA ranking. Another Romanian, Irina Begu (no. 43 WTA) also qualified to the quarterfinals after defeating Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (96 WTA), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. Also on Wednesday, Romania’s 3rd representative in the tournament, Ana Bogdan (105 WTA) lost to the Czech player Kristyna Pliskova, 4-6, 6-7, in an eighth finals match. In the doubles, the pair made up of Irina Begu and Simona Halep on Tuesday qualified to the semifinals after a dramatic match against another Romanian pair made up of Mihaela Buzarnescu and Irina Bara. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • July 29, 2016

    July 29, 2016

    CORRUPTION – The deputy governor of the National Bank of Romania, Bogdan Olteanu, will appear today before the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which is to rule on a 30-day arrest request filed by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. Olteanu was taken into custody on Thursday night for influence peddling. According to prosecutors, between July and November 2008, while serving as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Olteanu requested and received 1 million euro and election support from a business man, in exchange for appointing someone as governor of the Danube Delta. The same source mentions that the individual in question was appointed Danube Delta governor in September 2008. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate has started prosecution proceedings against other individuals as well. A Liberal since 1991, Bogdan Olteanu has been a deputy governor of Romanias central bank since 2009. The National Bank explained in a news release that the investigation targets Bogdan Olteanus activity before he was appointed deputy governor.




    UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate went down by 0.2% in July, to 568,000 people between 15 and 74 years of age currently jobless, the National Statistics Institute has announced. Unemployment among men is higher than the corresponding rate for women. People aged between 25 and 74 account for 78% of the total number of people on welfare in July.




    ECONOMY –Fitch rating agency lowered its long-term local currency debt rating for the city of Bucharest from “BBB to BBB-, with stable outlook. According to the Agency, the changes take into account developments related to the country rating, because the rating for specific administrative units cannot be higher than the national one. Last week, Fitch adjusted Romanias long-term local currency rating to the BBB-, stable outlook rating for long-term foreign currency debt. Fitch also confirmed the ceiling for Romanias country rating at BBB+.




    US ELECTION – Hillary Clinton has officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president of the US. The former state secretary became the first female presidential nominee, and her speech closed the Democratic Convention, launching Clintons direct race against her Republican opponent Donald Trump. During the Convention, the latter was subject to several attacks by key Democratic leaders, including President Barack Obama and vice-president Joe Biden. They accused Trump, a billionaire brought to public attention by a reality show, of demagogically posing as a defender of the middle class. Hillary Clinton has also criticised Trump, saying his vision divides the Americans. In her address at the Democratic Convention, Hillary Clinton emphasised her political experience, both as a senator and as a secretary of state, and approached all the topics of importance to American voters, from gun control to the need to revive the middle class.




    TURKEY – The European Commissioner in charge with Turkeys EU accession negotiations, Johannes Hahn, warned Ankara with respect to its treatment of suspects after the attempted coup. He said that suspicions of treatment in breach of human rights legislation would have consequences. Hahn mentioned that the migrant subsidy agreement with Turkey was in force, and the migration wave towards the EU had been reduced. After the failed coup of July 15, Turkish authorities proceeded to a crackdown on all those suspected of involvement. Many observers speak about cleansing, given the scope of the campaign initiated by the authorities: over 60.000 army, judiciary, police, administration and education personnel have so far been arrested, fired or suspended from office.




    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 5 in the world, is playing today against Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (11 WTA), in the quarter-finals of the WTA tournament in Montreal (Canada), which has 2.4 million dollars in total prize money. In the eighth-finals, Halep, which last year played the finals of this tournament, defeated the Czech Karolina Pliskova.

  • Anti-corruption Measures in Romania

    Anti-corruption Measures in Romania

    Corruption is a threat to national security, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told a television station on Thursday. He promised to support and always encourage those who fight this scourge. The anti-corruption offensive seems unstoppable, but it also brings to light the scope of this problem that has been afflicting the Romanian society for many years. Left and right of centre politicians, whose parliamentary immunity made them think they are above the law, or powerful business people whose wealth gave them the illusion that they can buy anything and anybody, are now called to answer for their acts.



    The headquarters of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in downtown Bucharest has turned into a pilgrimage place. And this week prosecutors initiated proceedings against one of the nine Constitutional Court judges, Toni Grebla, who is accused of aggravated corruption offences. He is probed into for influence peddling and for establishing a crime group that exported farm produce and foodstuffs to Russia, via Turkey, to bypass Moscow’s ban on imports from the EU.



    Toni Grebla is also accused of having claimed and received undue benefits from his godson, between 2010 and 2015, in exchange for promising to talk various civil servants into speeding up procedures involving the companies owned by his godson. In turn, a former Liberal minister, Cristian David, is accused of bribe-taking, and the High Court of Cassation and Justice granted the Anti-Corruption Directorate’s request to place him under 30-day arrest pending trial. Allegedly Cristian David received in 2007-2008 as much as 500 thousand euros in exchange for persuading a County Council president, who is also detained in a separate case, to issue an ownership title on a 15-ha tract of land.



    Dealings involving land are also at the heart of another case involving 17 defendants, including the former Social Democratic Deputy Viorel Hrebenciuc, his son Andrei, the former Social Democratic Deputy Ioan Adam and the former justice minister Tudor Chiuariu. They put together a crime group that sought the illegal return of 43 thousand hectares of forestland. The State incurred losses of over 300 million euros.



    Equally shocking are the mass media reports that the Liberal Democrat Gabriel Sandu stated that throughout his term in office as a minister of communications he contributed substantial amounts to his party in exchange for keeping his seat as a minister and his position in the party’s leading structure. Gabriel Sandu is one of the many former ministers, from left and right-wing parties, and businesspeople investigated for their involvement in a Microsoft license fraud.

  • Top-level Scandal

    Top-level Scandal

    In ten years as head of state, Romania’s President Traian Basescu has often found himself in rather difficult positions, including two impeachment attempts. This time around, the heavy blow comes from his own brother, who was arrested and is probed into for influence peddling.



    Anti-corruption prosecutors accuse Mircea Basescu of receiving 250 thousand euros in exchange for his promise to have a favourable court ruling passed in a trial in which a well-known crime group ringleader was sentenced for attempted manslaughter. The President has categorically denied any involvement in the case, and a proof in this respect is the prison sentence passed in that case. Traian Basescu has also dismissed the idea that he is to pay for the mistakes of his brother.



    The reaction has come after the Senate Speaker suggested that Parliament should endorse a statement demanding Basescu’s resignation. Traian Basescu seems determined to see through his term in office and, according to his statements, his mission to strengthen the Romanian judiciary. The alternative, the President warns, would be a scenario in which his arch-enemy, tycoon Dan Voiculescu, already subject to several court trials, nominates a puppet-president to appoint the prosecutors and judges whom he would find convenient.



    Cornered, but not defeated, Traian Basescu strikes back, questioning the credibility and moral authority of the MPs who have repeatedly denied the requests of the Anti-Corruption Directorate concerning investigations into Parliament members. On the other hand, the President claims to have had no intelligence on the shady connections between his brother and the respective criminal. This is a surprising statement, given the once excellent relationships the President had with the intelligence services.



    Less than 6 months ahead of the presidential election, the Romanian political arena is shattered by a scandal that weakens the President’s position and threatens to exclude him from the current negotiations aimed at unifying the right wing and finding a solution to offset the power of the left wing.