Tag: investigations

  • Crevedia – investigations and solidarity

    Crevedia – investigations and solidarity

    Investigations are being carried out at all stations across Romania selling fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). And according to the countrys Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, the stations, where irregularities involving public safety risks have been discovered, will be closed down. What happened in Crevedia, a commune in southern Romania, must never repeat! A local LPG station, which was not supposed to be functional as it had its safety permit withdrawn three years ago, blew up and went on flames on Saturday night.


    The investigation carried out by the General Prosecutors Office, which took over the present file on aggravated criminal damage followed by destruction, is being hindered by the gas leaks on the companys premises, says the head of the aforementioned institution, Alexandru Florenta.


    Florenta says that searches are presently being conducted at the local city hall and one of the companys working centers in Bucharest, as well as at the houses of the two company managers.


    Alexandru Florenţa: “The two main directions we are focusing on at the moment in this investigation, are the activities carried out by the company through its station in Crevedia after a decision had been issued to close down the aforementioned center due to a series of irregularities discovered here. The second line in our inquiry is aimed at finding out how the aforementioned LPG station was allowed to function and how the institutions in charge carried out their investigations here.”


    The case in Crevedia has also got the attention of anti-corruption prosecutors, who are investigating the crime of abuse of office. In turn military prosecutors are conducting their own research into the rescue team intervention, in an attempt to explain the high number of injured among the rescuers. Seven houses in the area have been affected by the explosion, three being almost razed to the ground. County and central authorities have pledged support for their reconstruction while the damage caused by the explosions is still being assessed.


    At the same time, the Ministry of Labour is to come before the Government with a series of emergency assistance packages for those affected by the explosion. However, the most important is the medical and psychological assistance given to those wounded and traumatized by the event. Blood centers in Bucharest and 24 other counties have been open as early as Sunday for donations for the scores of wounded, mostly firefighters, gendarmes and policemen, some severely wounded by the second explosion. They are being treated in several hospitals around Bucharest, or have been sent to hospitals in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Norway and Italy. France, Israel and Bulgaria are also ready to offer medical support to Romania.


    (bill)


  • August 5, 2019 UPDATE

    August 5, 2019 UPDATE

    INVESTIGATION In Caracal, southern Romania, searches continued on Monday at the home of Gheorghe Dincă, the man who claimed, after being apprehended more than a week ago, that he had killed 2 teenagers, 15-year old Alexanda Măceşanu and 18-year old Luiza Melencu. The investigators, who followed a new lead indicated by Gheorghe Dinca, found fragments of burnt bones and ashes in a bag, in a forest near Caracal. Dinca claims the remains belong to Luiza. Over the past few days, new biological samples were collected from the mans home and courtyard. The investigation now focuses on finding new clues to confirm that Luiza Melencu, missing since April, has been in Dincas house. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, in charge of the case, announced that the ash taken from Dincas residence showed traces of Alexandra Măceşanus DNA, the girl who went missing on July 24th and who called the emergency services the next day. The response of the authorities was too late, which led to a number of resignations and dismissals.




    EU Romania ranks 2nd in the EU, on a par with Portugal, in terms of a positive public image of the EU, indicates a new Eurobarometer poll made public on Monday. The number of Romanians having a positive view of the European bloc has grown to 60%, above the EU average of 44%. The new poll shows a strong increase in citizens positive perception of the EU in all areas, from economy to the state of democracy. These are the best Eurobarometer results since June 2014. Also, 52% of the Romanians have confidence in the EU, as against a 44% average in Europe. Some of the main findings of the Eurobarometer also include record-strong support for the single currency and a focus on climate change, as the 2nd biggest concern at EU level, after immigration.




    MOLDOVA The General Prosecution of the Republic of Moldova Monday opened a criminal case in which Vlad Plahotniuc is probed into for usurping power in June 2019. A group of prosecutors will look into the events of June 7th to 9th, when former Democratic leader Vlad Plahotniuc and judges with the Constitutional Court approved rulings, decisions and resolutions contrary to the Constitution of Moldova, in order to enable the Democrats to stay in power abusively. Sworn in by Parliament on June 8th, the new Government in Chisinau, headed by the pro-European Maia Sandu, only managed to take office in mid-June, after a deadlock cause by the previous, leftist government controlled by tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc, who refused to relinquish power.




    FESTIVAL Sfântu Gheorghe, in the Danube Delta, south-eastern Romania, is hosting as of Monday the 16th Anonimul International Independent Film Festival. The official opening included the screening of the latest film by director Jim Jarmusch, The Dead Don’t Die, launched at this years official Cannes competition. Six foreign and Romanian feature films take part in the official competition. The special guest of this years edition is Ukrainian director, Sergei Loznitsa, winner of the Cannes 2018 “Un Certain Regard award. He will receive the “ANONIMUL Award for his contribution to world cinema. A retrospective of his works will be followed by Q&A sessions. The festival also includes, until August 11, screenings of films awarded in other festivals, talks with filmmakers and film critics, Q&A sessions with production teams. A section entitled Fluidități will screen 4 documentaries on art, discussing topics like the fine arts, music, cultural traditions and crafts.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Investigations continue into the August 10 protest

    Investigations continue into the August 10 protest

    Prosecutors announced on Thursday that they identified and detained two of the hooligans who assaulted the riot police during the anti-government protest staged in Bucharest on August 10. Organised by associations of Romanians living abroad and marked by violent clashes between some of the participants and the gendarmes, the protest was eventually suppressed by the gendarmes forceful intervention. Hundreds of people, both protesters and police officers, were injured, and over a hundred thousand protesters, including women and children, were exposed to tear gas.



    According to a press release of the prosecutors office attached to the District 1 Tribunal, which is currently investigating criminal allegations of physical and psychological violence against the riot police, on Friday two men were detained for 30 days for assault and disorderly conduct. One of them is accused of having kicked a gendarme, while the other purportedly assaulted another member of the riot police using a piece of metal. Shortly after the protest, prosecutors also managed to identify another man who had stolen a gun off a female gendarme caught at the time in the middle of a melee.



    The Social-Democrat Interior Minister Carmen Dan two weeks ago claimed that prosecutors are not taking statements from the people who actually committed the acts of violence, although the Police have identified dozens of aggressors and all the evidence has been submitted to the Prosecutors Office.



    On the other hand, the peaceful protesters who fell victim to the brutal intervention of the gendarmes are voicing similar accusations against the left-of-centre ruling coalition. They fear the latter is trying to thwart the investigation conducted by the Military Prosecutors Office. In September, 4 high-ranking leaders of the Romanian Gendarmerie were officially indicted for accessory to abuse of office and abusive conduct. The victims however want to know the identity of the people who hit them with truncheons, trampled them and sprayed tear gas in their faces.



    Last week, the violent protest of August 10 and the latest developments in Romania concerning the justice system and the rule of law were debated in the European Parliament, after the Romanian Parliament had made its own analysis of the events. The Chamber of Deputies debated a simple motion filed by the National Liberal Party in Opposition, in which they accused Minister Carmen Dan of having coordinated the violent repression of the protest. Addressing Parliament, Minister Dan expressed confidence that the gendarmes intervention was legitimate, giving assurances that those responsible for the acts of violence will be held accountable. And this is exactly what civil society and local media have been vehemently asking for.

  • August 12, 2018

    August 12, 2018

    PROTESTS – Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday
    afternoon, for the second running day, in Victory Square in Bucharest, for an
    anti-government protest. No incidents were reported. Meanwhile, Romanian
    military prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation concerning the
    intervention of the riot police during Friday night’s rally. President Klaus
    Iohannis accused the Government of being irrational and acting against the
    interests of their own citizens. He condemned the violence occurring on the
    previous night in Victory Square, and asked the Interior Minister, Carmen Dan,
    to take responsibility for how the situation was handled. In response, the
    Interior Minister said that what happened was serious and that nobody could
    accuse the gendarme service for having enforced the law. Social-Democrat Prime
    Minister Viorica Dăncilă requested an immediate and comprehensive report from
    the Romanian Intelligence Service regarding the entities that planned and
    instigated the violence on Friday night, and regarding the actions of the
    public institutions in charge with providing data and intelligence on possible
    intentions to highjack the protests. Some 100,000 people gathered on Friday in
    front of the Government headquarters in Bucharest, demanding the resignation of
    the cabinet and early elections. There were violent clashes between the
    protesters and the gendarmes, and riot police used tear gas and water cannons
    to disperse the crowds. The gendarmes moved in after some of their colleagues
    were attacked. Over 450 people, including 35 gendarmes, received medical
    treatment further to the clashes, and 70 people were hospitalized, of whom 11
    gendarmes, including a woman who was beaten and had her gun stolen. The police
    have arrested 2 people in connection with Friday night’s acts of violence and
    have opened 8 criminal cases.




    MEASLES – 70 new cases of measles were reported over August 2-9 in
    Bucharest and 15 counties across the country. According to the National Center
    for Monitoring and Control of Transmissible Disease, 2 years since the epidemic
    broke out in Romania, the number of people who got sick now stands at 15,000,
    of whom 59 died. Measles can be prevented via vaccination. A quarter of the
    people suffering from measles need hospital care, and 1 in 1000 people dies in
    Romania to measles, doctors have warned.




    ANONIMUL – The Iceland-Denmark coproduction Under the Tree,
    directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson, won the 2018 Anonimul Trophy at the 15th
    edition of the Anonimul International Independent Film Festival, held in
    Sfantul Gheorghe, the Danube Delta. The public also picked the other winners.
    Kaveh Mazaheri’s Retouch won the award for best foreign short, while Emanuel
    Parvu’s Everything is far away got the award for best Romanian short. The
    Ovidiu Bose Pastina award bestowed by the Anonimul Foundation went to Mother,
    directed by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen.





    NASA – On Sunday NASA successfully launched the Parker solar probe
    into space, which will try to ascertain whether the sun’s corona is hotter than
    its surface. The Parker probe will travel into the sun’s atmosphere, closer to
    any aircraft before. The spacecraft is fitted to withstand extreme temperatures
    and radiation. This will be the first aircraft to fly into the sun’s atmosphere
    and will transmit important data back to earth on the origin and evolution of
    solar wind. The probe will complete 24 orbits of the sun, travelling at
    approximately 700,000 km/h.






    GYMNASTICS – Andrei Muntean is the only Romanian who qualified to
    the individual finals at the European Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow.
    Muntean will compete in Sunday’s still rings final. Aged 25, Muntean won the
    Olympic youth title for this event in 2010 in Singapore.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is today playing
    Sloane Stephens of the US, WTA no. 3, in the finals of the Rogers Cup in
    Montreal, with total prize money of 2,8 million dollars. On Saturday Halep
    ousted Ashleigh Barty of Australia, 16th WTA, in the semi-finals. In
    the other semi-final, Sloane Stephens defeated Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, last
    year’s winner. Sunday’s game is actually a rematch of the Roland Garos final
    earlier this year, won by Halep. This is Simona’s third final at Montreal. She
    won the 2016 edition.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)







  • August 11, 2018 UPDATE

    August 11, 2018 UPDATE

    PROTESTS Thousands of people gathered on Saturday afternoon, for the second running day, in Victoriei Square in Bucharest, for an anti-government protest. Meanwhile, Romanian military prosecutors have initiated a criminal investigation concerning the intervention of riot police during Friday nights rally. President Klaus Iohannis accused the Government of being irrational and acting against the interests of their own citizens. He condemned the violence occurring on the previous night in Victoriei Square, and asked the Interior Minister, Carmen Dan, to take responsibility for how the situation was handled. In response, the Interior Minister said that what happened was serious and that nobody could accuse the gendarme service for having enforced the law. PM Viorica Dăncilă requested an immediate and comprehensive report from the Romanian Intelligence Service regarding the entities that planned and instigated the violence on Friday night, and regarding the actions of the public institutions in charge with providing data and intelligence on possible intentions to highjack the protests. Some 100,000 people gathered on Friday in front of the Government headquarters in Bucharest, demanding the resignation of the cabinet and early elections. There were violent clashes between the protesters and the gendarmes, and riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The gendarmes moved in after some of their colleagues were attacked. Over 450 people, including 35 gendarmes, received medical treatment further to the clashes, and 70 people were hospitalised, of which 11 gendarmes, including a woman who was beaten and had her gun stolen. More than 30 protesters were arrested, and 8 criminal cases were opened. Also on Friday, in several cities in the country, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to voice their solidarity with the protest in Bucharest, shouting anti-government slogans.




    REACTIONS The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and president of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, said on Saturday that it is unacceptable to have “constitutional order attacked by organised groups, supported by the opposition and the head of state. The vice-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Deputy Andrei Gerea, claims the violent clashes that took place on Friday night are the result of an instigation and misinformation campaign run over the past few days by the opposition and the President of the country. The head of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, urges the President Klaus Iohannis to comply with his constitutional role and to mediate between the various groups within the Romanian society. In Opposition, the leader of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban said the brutal intervention of riot police against peaceful protesters in Victoriei Square was premeditated. Save Romania Union asked for the resignation of the Interior Minister, of the gendarme service chief, and of the Bucharest Prefect, as well as for a parliamentary inquiry and a special government meeting to “clarify the intervention of riot police in the rally. The Peoples Movement Party labels the intervention of riot police as “outrageous, “unjustified, and the gendarmes measures as “unprecedented and out of proportion.




    ECHOES – International media covered Fridays protests in Romania and the violence in Victoriei Square. “Hundreds injured in protests as emigrants return to fight corruption, writes The Guardian, while The New York Times notes that “Violence erupts as tens of thousands protest corruption in Romania. Tear gas and water cannons to disperse diaspora rally, France Presse reports, and Radio Free Europe reports that hundreds were injured during clashes between the police and protesters. Associated Press writes that the Romanian diaspora organised a massive anti-governmental protest in Bucharest and mentions that the rally was marred by violence.




    FESTIVAL – The 8th Summer Well alternative music festival continues until Sunday in Buftea, near Bucharest. This year as well popular names in the international music scene are taking part, including the British indie rock band Bastille, the Irish alternative rock outfit Kodaline, for the first time in Romania, and the American jungle pop duo Sofi Tukker. The line-up also includes Lantern Company, from Liverpool, who brought to Bucharest illuminated installations in a breath-taking performance.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 11, 2018

    August 11, 2018

    PROTESTS President Klaus Iohannis Saturday asked the Prosecutor General of Romania Augustin Lazăr to immediately initiate investigations into the intervention of riot police at Friday nights protests in Victoriei Square in Bucharest, the Presidency announced in a news release. The head of state requested the Prosecutor General to identify the participants in the violent clashes in the Romanian capital city and their involvement and responsibility for the events. On Friday President Klaus Iohannis had firmly condemned the brutal police intervention against the protesters in Victoriei Square and said the Interior Minister, Carmen Dan, must immediately present explanations for how the ministry handled the events. Over 450 people, including 35 gendarmes, received medical treatment further to the clashes on Friday night at the rally in Victoriei Square, a gendarme spokesperson told a press conference on Saturday. According to him, riot police had orders from the Prefect of Bucharest to take tough action in Victoriei Square on Friday night. The gendarme spokesman added that 8 criminal cases have been initiated so far. Some 100,000 people gathered on Friday in front of the Government headquarters in Bucharest, at a rally of Romanian expats, joined by many locals. Also on Friday, in several cities in the country, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to voice their solidarity with the protest of diaspora members, shouting anti-government slogans. The protesters, disgruntled with the current government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, demanded the resignation of the cabinet and early elections. There were clashes between the protesters and the gendarmes, and riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Police reported the presence of groups of provocateurs in front of the Government headquarters. The gendarmes moved in after some of their colleagues were attacked.



    REACTIONS Save Romania Union, in opposition, demands the resignation of the Interior Minister, of the Gendarme Service chief, of the Bucharest Prefect, a parliamentary inquiry and a special government meeting to clarify the gendarme intervention during Fridays protests of Romanian expats, the party president Dan Barna announced on Saturday. Also in opposition, the Peoples Movement Party labels the intervention of riot police as “outrageous, “unjustified, and the gendarmes measures as “unprecedented and out of proportion. Codrin Ştefănescu, the secretary general of the Social Democratic Party in power, said on Saturday that President Klaus Iohannis and the leaders of the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and Peoples Movement Party in opposition should present public apologies for how their statements encouraged violence. The vice-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Deputy Andrei Gerea, claims the violent clashes that took place on Friday night in front of the Government headquarters are the result of an instigation and misinformation campaign run over the past few days by the opposition and the President of the country.



    ECHOES International media covered Fridays protests in Romania and the violence in Victoriei Square. “Hundreds injured in protests as emigrants return to fight corruption, writes The Guardian, while The New York Times notes that “Violence erupts as tens of thousands protest corruption in Romania. Tear gas and water cannons to disperse diaspora rally, France Presse reports, and Radio Free Europe reports that hundreds were injured during clashes between the police and protesters. Associated Press writes that the Romanian diaspora organised a massive anti-governmental protest in Bucharest and mentions that the rally was marred by violence.



    FESTIVAL The 8th Summer Well alternative music festival continues until Sunday in Buftea, near Bucharest. This year as well popular names in the international music scene are taking part, including the British indie rock band Bastille, the Irish alternative rock outfit, for the first time in Romania, and the American jungle pop duo Sofi Tukker. The line-up also includes Lantern Company, from Liverpool, who brought to Bucharest illuminated installations in a breath-taking performance.




    TENNIS The Romanian Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, is playing today against the Australian Ashleigh Barty (16 WTA), in the semi-finals of the WTA tournament in Montreal, which has 2.8 million US dollars in total prize money. On Friday in the quarterfinals Halep defeated the French Caroline Garcia (6 WTA), while Barty outplayed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands (18 WTA). Simona Halep is playing the Rogers Cup semis for the 4th consecutive time. Last year, when the tournament took place in Toronto, Halep lost the semi-final to Elina Svitolina. The Romanian won the tournament in 2016, in Montreal, against Madison Keys, after having lost the 2015 final to the Swiss Belinda Bencic.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Report on European funds fraud

    Report on European funds fraud

    The European Anti-Fraud Office known as OLAF announced that in 2017 alone it conducted 197 investigations, which resulted in 309 recommendations and the recuperation of 3 billion Euros that retuned to the EU budget. A common element of the finalized investigations was the existence of a secret understanding between the winner of a tender and either a consultant or the very beneficiary of the funds.



    The conflict of interests was another common element of the investigations, involving politicians and large-scale public procurement projects. According to the European media, three countries in the east of the EU, Romania, Hungary and Poland were allegedly the countries with the most intense anti-fraud investigations. According to the acting Director General of OLAF, British Nicholas Ilet, there is no link between the number of investigations and the level of corruption in a certain country. He says that if there is a substantial investigation, it means that there is a good cooperation between OLAF representatives and a certain country or that OLAF benefits from much information about that country.



    There are 11 investigations targeting the use of European funds in Romania which is the leader in a classification of countries with anti-fraud investigations finalized in 2017. Illustrative of the situation are two investigations related to projects funded through the European fund for regional development. The representatives of a city hall, which was the beneficiary, made an understanding with the representatives of the company that had drafted the technical projects for the building of a road, according to which they established restrictive criteria in the documents to be used at the tender.



    In this way, they created an advantage for a certain company that won the tender, with the rest of the participants in the tender being rejected from the very start of the initial assessment stage. The sides involved forged a lot of documents including the technical project of the road, the OLAF representatives concluded. They calculated the financial loss from the EU budget as standing at 21 million Euros. OLAF recommended the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policies of the European Commission to recuperate the entire amount of money and forwarded judicial recommendations to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate in Bucharest to take legal action against the aforementioned entities.



    In November 2017 the prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate indicted several high-ranking politicians for fraud in EU-funded projects, the setting up of a criminal group and abuse of office for personal gains. In order to recuperate the loss, they confiscated the assets and blocked the bank accounts of the people involved in the fraud. In a different, trans-national case, the European Anti-Fraud Office managed to stop an intricate fraud scheme through which community funds worth more than 1.4 million Euros were embezzled. The money was to be used for building emergency response hovercraft prototypes. The investigation revealed irregularities in a research and innovation project that had been won by an Italian-led European consortium with partners from France, Romania and Great Britain.

  • L’économie roumaine sous la loupe du Conseil de la Concurrence

    L’économie roumaine sous la loupe du Conseil de la Concurrence

    Par ailleurs, le Conseil a démarré des investigations visant des formes graves de pratiques anti-concurrentielles. 62% de ces procédures visaient de possibles cartels ou des cas d’abus de position dominante.

    Mais comment voit Bogdan Chiritoiu, président du Conseil de la concurrence, l’économie roumaine : « Il existe évidemment des secteurs qui vont bon train et grâce auxquels, la Roumanie obtient quelques-unes des meilleures performances de toute l’UE, dans le sens où nous avons des services de qualité à des prix attrayants, et je pense notamment aux télécoms. Pour ce qui est du commerce alimentaire, la Roumanie pratique des prix inférieurs à la moyenne de l’UE et une concurrence intense sur le marché. Nous voyons, chaque jour, de nouvelles grandes surfaces ouvrir leurs portes. D’autres secteurs améliorent leurs produits, comme c’est le cas des banques, où la concurrence croissante a fait baisser les taux d’intérêt. Mais le secteur bancaire roumain est toujours, selon nos calculs, plus cher en Roumanie que dans d’autres pays de l’UE. Et il y a des secteurs, malheureusement, sans trop de concurrence ; je pense notamment à l’industrie des matériaux de construction, avec seulement trois cimentiers, et aussi aux professions libérales, qui ironiquement ne sont pas trop libérales à cause de l’Etat, comme c’est le cas des notaires, une profession très réglementée. Le nombre des notaires est limité, ils ne peuvent pas proposer des tarifs inférieurs à certains seuils et ainsi de suite. »

    L’Etat roumain et le Fond « Proprietatea » envisagent de capitaliser la Poste roumaine, en y injectant une cinquantaine de millions d’euros, pour que la compagnie puisse payer ses dettes envers l’Etat roumain, en vue de la cotation en bourse d’un paquet minoritaire d’actions, a annoncé le président du Conseil de la concurrence.

    Bogdan Chiritoiu: « La Poste roumaine est une des compagnies d’Etat qui a fonctionné mieux ces derniers temps. Malheureusement, l’Etat, possède une série d’entreprises en difficulté qui perdent de l’argent et dont l’existence même est menacée. Le gouvernement a collaboré avec la Commission européenne afin de restructurer la Poste, de la rendre plus efficace, tout en respectant la législation communautaire. Il faut éviter tout risque de se voir infliger une amende par la Commission européenne. Et le prochain pas sera d’attirer un partenaire du secteur privé et donc d’assurer à long terme la viabilité de la Poste roumaine. La compagnie déroule des négociations avancées pour contracter un prêt à long terme, ce qui constitue également un signe de crédibilité. C’est très important de ne pas être dépendant du budget d’Etat. »

    Le président du Conseil de la concurrence a également évoqué la collaboration avec le Ministère des Fonds européens : « Jusqu’ici, en Roumanie, toute l’énergie a été consacrée aux moyens de dépenser l’argent qui nous a été alloué. Mais la période durant laquelle on pouvait utiliser les fonds européen de l’exercice budgétaire 2007 – 2013 s’est terminé l’année dernière. Maintenant, nous devons dépenser l’argent alloué pour la période 2014 – 2020. Et pour cela, il faut redéfinir la documentation, qui change assez souvent. Donc, le ministère des Fonds européens est en charge des guides pratiques pour les demandeurs de financement, mais parfois, nous devons également confirmer le respect de toutes règles relatives aux aides d’Etat, autrement dit, qu’il n’y a pas d’aide illégale. Evidemment, c’est une priorité du gouvernement, du pays et nous soutenons le ministère des Fonds européennes, en leur fournissant de l’assistance le plus vite possible, pour ne pas prolonger le processus d’absorption des fonds européens. »

    Le Conseil de la concurrence a aussi annoncé une collaboration avec le ministère de la Justice, au sujet d’un projet de loi qui envisage des dédommagements versés aux victimes des pratiques de non-concurrence.

    Bogdan Chiriţoiu: «La Commission européenne a lancé une Directive que les Etats membres doivent transposée en droit interne avant la fin de l’année. L’idée c’est de faciliter le dédommagement des victimes des comportements anti-concurrence, parce qu’actuellement, lorsqu’une compagnie enfreint la loi de la concurrence, elle écope d’une amende forte, l’argent allant au budget de l’Etat. Hé bien, la Commission européenne veut que les victimes soient dédommagées, car un comportement anti-concurrence produit aussi un préjudice pour les consommateurs ; un bien ou un service sera donc plus cher que normalement et donc il faudrait créer un mécanisme pour dédommager ceux qui ont payé ces prix plus élevés. Cette directive facilite l’accès à la justice afin d’obtenir ces dédommagements et dit qu’une fois validée par une cour de justice, une décision de l’autorité en charge de la concurrence ne doit plus être soutenue par des preuves, en cas de demande d’être dédommagé. Le Conseil de la concurrence de Roumanie ramasse des tas de documents, des preuves qui seront mises à la disposition de ceux ayant l’intention de récupérer en justice les préjudices subis. Les victimes bénéficieront du fait que nous aurons prouvé l’infraction à la loi ainsi que des preuves que nous aurons collectées durant l’enquête. »

    Le Conseil de la concurrence de Roumanie rendra publics, bientôt, les résultats d’une nouvelle étude concernant le marché pharmaceutique roumain, qui fait l’objet de controverses publiques et d’enquêtes médiatiques. (Trad. Alex Diaconescu, Ileana Taroi)

  • High-Level Corruption Cases

    High-Level Corruption Cases

    The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism Friday presented its annual report. Since its establishment 10 years ago, the institution investigated nearly 65 thousand cases, and over 10 thousand of them resulted in the indictment of over 30 thousand people.



    But the image of the institution is stained by the recent corruption accusations brought against its chief, Alina Bica. She was arrested under charges of abuse of office, for misdeeds committed as a member of a committee in charge with the return of property seized by the communist regime.



    In 2011, she reportedly approved the payment of nearly 84 million euros to businessman Gheorghe Stelian, as compensation for a 13-ha park in Bucharest, although the fair price of the land was a lot smaller. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, the state lost around 60 million euros in this affair. But information surfaced on Sunday, which indicates that the implications of this case are a lot deeper and other offenses might be related to it.



    Currently under arrest pending trial, Alina Bica is now also probed into for having received 3.5 million euros in bribe from another businessman, Ioan Nicolae, in exchange for repeatedly postponing an anti-corruption investigation until the date laid down in the statute of limitation. Apart from the bribe, the businessman allegedly promised Alina Bica to use his political connections to have her appointed prosecutor general of Romania. The deputy PM Liviu Dragnea was supposed to help her, which the Social Democratic leader now vehemently denies:



    Liviu Dragnea: “This is the first time that I hear about it, and I would find it amusing if it weren’t so serious. How could I do this? How could I nominate the prosecutor general? I’m not the justice minister, and I’ve never been the justice minister, so how could I make the nomination?”



    Meanwhile, the investigations continue in the overpriced property restitution case, which involves very intricate connections and large amounts of money. Alica Bica allegedly received a tract of land near Bucharest, without paying anything for it. And businessman Dorin Cocos, the ex-husband of Elena Udrea, the head of the People’s Movement Party and a presidential candidate in this year’s elections, is accused of having received money for his involvement in the restitution. Politician Elena Udrea, whose friendship with Alina Bica was also long known, denies any involvement in the case.

  • A Complex Corruption Case

    A Complex Corruption Case

    Senior prosecutor Alina Bica’s story of professional rise and fall reads like a novel. In 1996 she was a prosecutor with the court in Sfantu Gheorghe, a small provincial town in Transylvania. Four years later, staying in Transylvania, she became a prosecutor with the main court in Brasov, and after four more years, she had made it all the way to Bucharest. Here she joined the prosecutor’s office with the High Court of Cassation, first in the Criminal Investigation and Forensics Section, then in the Independent Service for High Level Economic and Financial Crime.



    She became an undersecretary in the Ministry of Justice during the term held by Liberal Democrat Catalin Predoiu, and then, in 2013, she was appointed in her current position, head of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), proposed for the position by the Social Democrat Prime Minister himself, Victor Ponta, who was then interim Minister of Justice. At about a year and a half after her appointment, the head prosecutor resigned, as she found herself involved in a major corruption case that has seen the light of day recently. The resignation came shortly after she was placed under pre-emptive arrest for a maximum of 30 days pending investigation.



    Also as a result of that case, the Higher Council of Magistrates, which regulates the activity of prosecutors and judges, decided to suspend Alina Bica. The accusations against her revolve around the position she held in 2011, when she was an undersecretary with the Ministry of Justice. She was sitting on a committee that handled restitution of land confiscated by the communist regime under its nationalization policy. She is alleged of abusing her position and pushing through the payment of restitution for a plot of land grossly overvalued.



    More to the point, the committee approved the payment of around 84 million Euros to a businessperson as compensation for a piece of land near Bucharest that cost much less in reality. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, the damage to the state amounts to around 60 million Euros. The affair, however, is even more intricate. The same case also involves Dorin Cocos, a businessman and former spouse to one of this year’s presidential candidates, Elena Udrea, head of the People’s Movement Party.



    In a Facebook post, she claims to have nothing to do with the affair of the overvalued land her ex-husband is involved in. Dorin Cocos is alleged to have asked for 10 million Euros in return for putting in a good word with the National Property Restitution Authority for pushing through the spurious claim. Elena Udrea has withheld comment on Alina Bica’s case, as they are known to have a long-standing friendship.