Radio România Internațional

Tag: Microsoft case

  • February 3, 2018 UPDATE

    February 3, 2018 UPDATE

    Chevron — The American oil company Chevron will pay to the National Agency for Mineral Resources in Romania around 74 million dollars following the annulment of three oil concession agreements without observing the financial obligations stipulated by the oil law, the Romanian government announced Saturday in a press release. The decision was made by the International Court of Arbitration, a branch of the International Chamber of Commerce based in Paris, which was asked to solve the conflict between Chevron and Romania’s National Agency for Mineral Resources. In 2011, the two sides concluded three concession agreements for exploitation, development and exploration in certain areas in southeastern Romania, which three years later Chevron decided to terminate.



    Microsoft — The head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, said she had no reason to resign, after charges were dropped in a resounding corruption case investigated by her assistants because the statute of limitations had expired. Charges were dropped against six former ministers prosecuted for abuse of office allegedly perpetrated in 2003-2004 while in the case of the 7th minister the case was closed. The ministers in question were investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate for initiating or supporting government orders awarding a public procurement contract to a private company. Anti-corruption prosecutors say this company was considered, with no justification in reality, as the sole provider of Microsoft licenses in Romania, so no public tender was therefore held. Total damages stand at around 70 million dollars.



    USR — The leader of the opposition Save Romania Union Dan Barna has called for the resignation of the Foreign Minister, Liberal Democrat Teodor Melescanu following a declaration, which he labels as anti-European. Minister Melescanu had labeled as gross violation of the EU principles the information from Brussels according to which the observance of the rule of law could become a condition for granting European funds. The European Commission decided, for the first time in the history of the community bloc, to start the procedure for the activation of Article 7 against Poland, which provides for the suspension of the right to vote in the European Council. According to Brussels officials, there is evident risk of serious infringement of the rule of law in Poland, where Parliament passed laws that increase the control of the executive power on the judiciary.



    Commemoration — Commemoration events were held Saturday at the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to Resistance in Sighet (northwestern Romania) to mark 65 years since the death of a great Romanian politician, Iuliu Maniu. The political personality of the leader of the National Peasant Party, who was Romania’s prime minister in the interwar period and also a member of the Romanian Academy, was evoked in a number of speeches and papers presented during the events. An activist for union, a promoter of democratic principles and an adversary of Communism and Nazism, Iuliu Maniu was arrested in 1947 by the regime instated by the Soviet occupation and died in 1953 at the age of 80 in the Sighet prison, where most of the former Democratic dignitaries were detained.



    Tennis — Romania’s and Luxembourg’s Davis Cup teams have obtained equal scores, 1-1, after the first two singles held Saturday in Piatra Neamt (northeastern Romania) in the first round of Europe/ Africa Zone Group II. In the first singles match on Saturday Ugo Nastasi of Luxembourg defeated the Romanian tennis player Nicolae Frunza 7-6, 1-6, 6-3. In the second match, Marius Copil defeated Christhope Tholl 6-3, 6-2. On Sunday, in the doubles, the pair Florin Mergea/Horia Tecău will play against Ugo Nastasi/Christophe Tholl and in the last two matches Copil will play against Nastasi and Frunza against Tholl. The Davis Cup matches will take place according to the new format announced by the International Tennis Federation with matches consisting of maximum 3 sets being played for two days not three, as has happened so far. Romania was demoted last year to Group I for the first time after 1993, after it lost the match against Israel 0-5. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • February 3, 2018

    February 3, 2018

    Chevron — The American oil company Chevron will pay to the National Agency for Mineral Resources in Romania around 74 million dollars following the annulment of three oil concession agreements without observing the financial obligations stipulated by the oil law, the Romanian government announced Saturday in a press release. The decision was made by the International Court of Arbitration, a branch of the International Chamber of Commerce based in Paris which was asked to solve the conflict between Chevron and Romania’s National Agency for Mineral Resources. In 2011, the two sides concluded three concession agreements for exploitation, development and exploration in certain areas in southeastern Romania, which three years later Chevron decided to terminate.



    Microsoft — The head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, said she had no reason to resign, after charges were dropped in a resounding corruption case investigated by her assistants because the statute of limitations had expired. Charges were dropped against six former ministers prosecuted for abuse of office allegedly perpetrated in 2003-2004 while in the case of the 7th minister the case was closed. The ministers in question were investigated by the National Anticorruption Directorate for initiating or supporting government orders awarding a public procurement contract to a private company. Anti-corruption prosecutors say this company was considered, with no justification in reality, as the sole provider of Microsoft licenses in Romania, so no public tender was therefore held. Total damages stand at around 70 million dollars.



    USR — The leader of the opposition Save Romania Union party Dan Barna has called for the resignation of the Foreign Minister, Liberal Democrat Teodor Melescanu following a declaration, which he labels as anti-European. Minister Melescanu had labeled as gross violation of the EU principles the information from Brussels according to which the observance of the rule of law could become a condition for granting European funds. The European Commission decided, for the first time in the history of the community bloc, to start the procedure for the activation of Article 7 against Poland, which provides for the suspension of the right to vote in the European Council. According to Brussels officials, there is evident risk of serious infringement of the rule of law in Poland, where Parliament passed laws that increase the control of the executive power on the judiciary.



    Tennis — Romanian tennis player Nicolae Frunza and Ugo Nastasi of Luxembourg are today playing the first Davis Cup match held in Piatra Neamt (northeastern Romania) in the first round of Europe/ Africa Zone Group II. In the second singles match Romanian Marius Copil will be up against Christhope Tholl. On Sunday, in the doubles, the pair Florin Mergea/Horia Tecău will play against Ugo Nastasi/Christophe Tholl and in the last two matches Copil will play against Nastasi and Frunza against Tholl. The matches will take place according to the new format announced by the International Tennis Federation with matches, consisting of maximum 3 sets, being played for two days not three, as has happened so far. Romania was demoted last year to Group I for the first time after 1993, after it lost the match against Israel 0-5.



    Commemoration — Commemoration events were held Saturday at the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to Resistance in Sighet (northwestern Romania) to mark 65 years since the death of a great Romanian politician, Iuliu Maniu. The political personality of the leader of the National Peasant Party, who was Romania’s prime minister in the interwar period and also a member of the Romanian Academy, was evoked in a number of speeches and papers presented during the events. An activist for union, a promoter of democratic principles and an adversary of Communism and Nazism, Iuliu Maniu was arrested in 1947 by the regime instated by the Soviet occupation and died in 1953 at the age of 80 in the Sighet prison, where most of the former Democratic dignitaries were detained. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • February 2, 2018 UPDATE

    February 2, 2018 UPDATE

    CORRUPTION — The Prosecutors’ Office with the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Friday announced it made public the irregularities with which an anti-corruption prosecutor was prosecuting a famous corruption case as early as last September. The reaction comes against the background of concern voiced by civil society and mass media in Romania over the solutions in the so-called Microsoft case. We recall that six former Romanian ministers have been acquitted in a big corruption case as the statute of limitation has expired. In the case of the 7th minister involved with the file, the anti-corruption prosecutors have ruled to close the case. Three of the officials involved in the case, who had occupied portfolios at the Ministries of Education and Finances, were being investigated in the so-called Microsoft case, which caused 70 million dollars in prejudice to the state. The seven officials are accused of having resorted to illegal actions over 2003-2004 to sign a contract with a private company for operating Microsoft licenses in schools.



    BREXIT — Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu said the rights of Romanians currently living in the UK will be fully guaranteed post-Brexit, in the wake of the first round of Brexit negotiations. The statement comes as British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke of possibly limiting the rights of EU citizens who will settle in the UK after Brexit. The statement refers to citizens arriving after March 2019, so that these provisions cannot apply to citizens currently residing in the UK.



    DEFENCE — 2018 will be devoted to modernizing the Romanian Naval Forces, Defense Minister Mihai Fifor on Friday said in the military port of Constanta on the Black Sea coast. The Romanian official said Wednesday’s government session will occasion a presentation of a project devoted to the purchase of four multi-purpose corvettes. The contract could be signed by the end of the year and the corvettes will be manufactured at a shipyard in Romania. Two frigates will also be upgraded, while most of Romania’s naval military could be fitted with anti-ship missiles. In turn, Vice-Admiral Alexandru Mirsu said Romania needs a strong and well-equipped naval force, considering Russia’s increased military presence in the Black Sea. The two officials met in Constanta with the crews of British and Turkish naval forces, who are part of NATO’s permanent military force, currently taking part in joint maritime surveillance operations.



    FINANCE — Romania has attracted €2 billion from external markets by issuing Eurobonds with maturities of 12 to 20 years in two installments. The transaction covers part of the minimum financing capital on external markets for this year, at the same time consolidating Romania’s hard currency reserves, the Finance Ministry has announced. The Ministry plans to attract Eurobonds up to €5 billion and issue government bonds worth €11 billion on the internal market. Romania has a positive investment rating with a stable outlook from the world’s top three financial rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch.



    HEARING — Romania’s Ambassador to the United States, George Maior, will appear before Parliament’s Romanian Intelligence Service Control Committee on February 27, the Committee chairman Claudiu Manda has said. On Friday Manda met with Maior in Bucharest, saying talks were short. A former Social-Democrat MP, Maior acted as head of the Romanian Intelligence Service over 2006-2015. Maior said he does not refrain from appearing before the Committee and wants to clarify information appeared in the media, without saying exactly what. More and more journalists speculate the intelligence service is allegedly serving political interests.



    MOLDOVA — Moldovan President Igor Dodon on Friday called an official meeting to launch the so-called “Stephen the Great” Year. According to our correspondents in Chisinau, the move is seen as an extension of his pro-Russian policy, an attempt to undermine the Great Union Centennial in Romania. His initiative is in no way connected to any event in the life of Moldovan Ruler Stephen the Great, historian and political expert Octavian Tacu said, adding that Dodon wants to promote Moldovan identity, imposed by his political patrons in Moscow. Dodon is known for his anti-unionism and his plans to ban numerous organizations and parties calling for the reunification of Moldova and Romania.



    DAVIS CUP — On Saturday and Sunday in Piatra Neamt, eastern Romania, the country’s tennis team will be playing the selection of Luxembourg in the first round of group two, of the Davis Cup’s Europe-Africa zone. The Romanian line-up includes Marius Copil who will play in the single contest, Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea in the doubles, Nicolae Frunza and Bogdan Borza in the singles. Romania has been relegated from group one for the first time since 1993 after a five-nil defeat by Israel. Romania has to win three rounds to make a comeback to world group one. Unless they win against Luxembourg, our tennis players are to join a play-off to maintain their position or be demoted. (Translated by D. Bilt & V. Palcu)

  • October 3, 2016 UPDATE

    October 3, 2016 UPDATE

    SENTENCE – The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Monday sentenced to prison all the four defendants in the so-called Microsoft case, one of the most notorious corruption cases in Romania. The decision is final. Two influential business people, Dorin Cocos and Nicolae Dumitru, a former Minister of Communications, Gabriel Sandu, and the former mayor of Piatra-Neamt, Gheorghe Stefan, got a total of 19 years in prison. The High Court also decided to seize some 17 million euros worth of prejudice from the four. According to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, in April 2004 the contract for awarding Microsoft licenses in the education system was signed to the detriment of the state, allowing the payment of special bonuses to the people involved. A 60-million-euro bribe and a prejudice standing at 27 million euros were among the charges facing the crime group at the time.



    UNIVERSITY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Monday attendedthe opening ceremony for the new university year at the Western University of Timisoara. The president emphasized meritocracy, without which he said a better Romania would not be possible. He said that the country needed political projects looking to the future, as well as political visions and politicians who want to build a better Romania.



    DEFENSE – Romanian Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc announced on Monday that Germany would allocate general staff officers to the NATO multinational brigade forming in Romania. At the same time, Bulgaria confirmed once again it would contribute 400 soldiers to the brigade, while Poland would set aside a company for the combat unit, which is set to work alongside an American unit. The Rovine 2nd Infantry Brigade, headquartered in Craiova, southern Romania, will turn into the NATO Multinational Brigade, as part of the plan laid out at the NATO summit in Warsaw that took place this summer.



    URBAN DEVELOPMENT – European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, said she hoped the Romanian Parliament elected on December 11th would align Romanian legislation with that of Europe. The commissioner attended in Bucharest a conference on today’s challenges in sustainable urban development and the role European funds play in it. She made reference to the EU’s urban agenda and its role in Romania. The commissioner visited several sites financed by European funds, attending conferences and meetings with Romanian officials.



    REFERENDUM – Nine out of ten Hungarians voted in Sunday’s referendum to turn down mandatory European quotas of refugees, but the low poll attendance, below 50%, invalidated the referendum. Radio Romania’s correspondent in Budapest informs that, in spite of its campaign against migration, the Conservative government led by Viktor Orban did not manage to bring people to the polls. The PM wants to validate the vote, and announced amendments to the Constitution.



    NOBEL – The Nobel Prize for Medicine went this year to Japanese researcher Yoshinori Ohsumi for research on autophagy, the metabolic activity in which organisms consume their own tissues when starving. His research is considered crucial for understanding cell renewal and the body’s response to hunger and infections, especially in its genetic aspects, relevant to research into cancer and neurological conditions.



    FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football team is preparing its away games against Armenia, scheduled for the 8th of October, and against Kazakhstan, on the 11th , part of the preliminaries to the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia. Last month, the national team tied 1-all against Montenegro at home, in the first game under the guidance of German coach Cristoph Daum, the first foreign coach of a Romanian national side. In the same E group, Denmark bested Armenia 1-0, while Poland tied away from home in Kazakhstan, 2-all. On November 11, Romania is scheduled to play against Poland on home turf.


    (Translated by C. Cotoiu and V. Palcu)




  • Two major corruption cases make headlines in Romania

    Two major corruption cases make headlines in Romania

    Investigations into the Microsoft case, the most resounding corruption scandal in Romania in the last 25 years have entered a new phase. The case refers to the purchase of IT licenses for Romanian schools. According to prosecutors, a number of former ministers with several different governments unlawfully signed and extended contracts at prices increased artificially.



    The National Anti-Corruption Directorate started the prosecution of nine former officials, namely the senators Serban Mihailescu and Ecaterina Andronescu, the deputy Valerian Vreme, the European Parliament member Dan Nica as well as Daniel Funeriu, Alexandru Athanasiu, Mihai Tanasescu, Gabriel Sandu and Adriana Ticau. The former chief of Romania’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Catalin Harnagea, the former communication minister Gabriel Sandu, the former presidential advisor Dorin Marian and the former tennis player Dinu Pescariu are also suspected of involvement in the case.



    President Traian Basescu has recently said that more surprises and new suspects will surface in relation to the Microsoft scandal. President Basescu has dismissed rumours that the FBI provided documents in this case.



    Another major case making headlines these days has to do with the illegal return of forestland and involves judges, parliament members and businessmen. Damages to the Romsilva National Forestry Authority are estimated at over 300 million euros.



    Among the suspects are the Social Democrat MPs Ioan Adam, Viorel Hrebenciuc and Ilie Sarbu, as well as the illegitimate son of King Carol II of Romania, Prince Paul and his wife. Prosecutors say that in April 2012, at Ioan Adam’s request, judges with the Covasna Tribunal illegally ruled for the return of a large area of forest and farm land in the eastern county of Bacau, worth 300 million euros. Later, Ioan Adam and several other people, including Viorel Hrebenciuc, are believed to have set up a group with the purpose of making money through a speedy procurement of land title deeds, followed by a quick sale of the land.



    In another development, the Romanian Parliament is debating a draft law making it easier for deputies and senators to lose their immunity and preventing delays in investigations. Some of the new provisions of the bill include shorter trial dates, limitations to Parliament’s responsibilities as far as the assessment of evidence is concerned, and the introduction of open public vote in Parliament and the Parliament’s Legal Committee.