Radio România Internațional

Tag: Nordis investigation

  • No-confidence vote in Bucharest

    No-confidence vote in Bucharest

    On Tuesday, AUR, SOS and POT MPs from the so-called sovereignist opposition in the Bucharest Parliament called for the first vote of no-confidence against the PSD-PNL-UDMR government, installed at the end of December and led by Social-Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The motion is titled “Prime Minister Nordis must go, Romanians are fed up with humiliation” – a reference to the alleged connections between Ciolacu and the perpetrators of a far-reaching real estate scam. Earlier this month, former PSD deputy Laura Vicol and her husband, businessman Vladimir Ciorbă, were placed under pre-trial arrest. Three other defendants were also placed under house arrest in the same case. In the case of six others suspects, the court ordered house arrest or judicial proceedings.

     

    The investigation by anti-mafia prosecutors from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) targets 40 individuals and 32 companies, accused of having collected over €195 million from individuals or legal entities, but not delivering the apartments and parking spaces for which the clients had paid. According to investigators, there were also cases where the same apartment was sold to several clients. The political boss of Laura Vicol, who served as president of the legal committee in the Chamber of Deputies in the previous legislature, Prime Minister Ciolacu admitted that he flew to France and Spain on private jets, together with the former deputy and her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă. The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, is reported to have joined them on these trips.

     

    Motion initiators say that the current government is illegitimate, has lost its credibility, precisely as certain cabinet members are associated with the Nordis investigation. The opposition says the Cabinet does not observe its own governing program, where it promised, among other things, to increase allowances and pensions. The government is already accumulating a shameful record of abuses and failures, which demonstrates the total rupture between political power and the Romanian people – the nationalist opposition also says.

     

    Also in the opposition, the pro-European USR party announced it would not vote the motion. USR says that the motion has zero chances of passing, and the entire opposition is missing the chance to initiate a procedure to dismiss the Government in the current parliamentary session. Representatives of the majority coalition say that Romania needs serious solutions, not image strategies, and have promised to create a shield around Ciolacu and his team. Moreover, the Social-Democrat and Liberal leaders say that any defections from the ruling majority will be punished without mercy, and whoever votes in favor of the motion will be expelled from the party. AUR, SOS and POT have a combined 154 MPs in the current legislature. However, for the motion to pass, 232 votes in favor are required, tantamount to half plus one of the total number of senators and deputies. (VP)

  • February 11, 2025

    February 11, 2025

    RESIGNATION – The Constitutional Court has taken note of president Klaus Iohannis’ resignation. The two chambers of Parliament in Bucharest have also decided to annul Tuesday’s plenary sitting, where the main point on the agenda was the debate on the impeachment of Klaus Iohannis, after the populist and isolationist parties POT, AUR and S.O.S. Romania, in addition to the pro-European USR party, filed a motion in that regard. According to the Constitution, Senate Speaker Ilie Bolojan is expected to take over as interim president, after he has just stepped down as president of the National Liberal Party (PNL). Bolojan’s attributes remain limited: he will not be able to address Parliament on key political issues, he may not dissolve Parliament and will not be able to call a national referendum.

     

    BUDGET – Romania’s outgoing president, Klaus Iohannis, on Monday signed a number of executive orders, including the ratification of state budget and social security budget laws for 2025. Last week, the two bills were adopted by Parliament. The budget is based on a deficit target of 7% of GDP and an estimated economic growth rate of 2.5%. The Energy, Education, Health, Transport, Environment, Defense and Investments and European Funds ministries will get additional funds. Finance Minister Barna Tánczos, stated that all the conditions have been met to “support the development of the country by means of record-high investments”, while Romania will have “the resources to ensure the payment of salaries and pensions and restore financial balance”.

     

    CORRUPTION – The level of corruption remains very high at global level, while efforts to combat this phenomenon are decreasing, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International. According to the organization, the lack of strong measures against corruption spells serious repercussions globally in key areas such as protecting democracy, observing the rule of law, protecting the environment and combating climate change, and promoting and protecting human rights. In 2024, the average score at EU level was 62, down by two points compared to previous years. For the third year in a row, Romania was rated with a score of 46 out of 100 possible points, the same as Malta. Romania also fares very poorly at EU level in terms of combating corruption. Transparency International Romania made a number of recommendations, such as the implementation of Integrity Pacts as a widespread tool for monitoring public procurement, improving citizens’ awareness of the importance of applying the Law on the Protection of Public Whistleblowers or updating the legislation in the field of public integrity. Transparency International Romania also recommends the government implement an anti-corruption program that would help Romania improve its Corruption Perceptions Index score to at least 50 by 2027.

     

    REAL ESTATE – Ruling coalition MPs are as of today holding public consultations in order to regulate protection measures addressing people who conclude sale-purchase deeds with real estate developers. Representatives of real estate developers, public notaries and the National Agency for Land Registry and Real Estate Advertising are also expected to take part. The goal is to complete the legal framework with regulations that will offer the end beneficiaries robust guarantees for the advances paid in real estate transactions and that will also ensure the development and proper functioning of the relevant market in Romania. The initiative comes after hundreds of people who got scammed in the Nordis case called for amending the relevant legislation. Former PSD deputy Laura Vicol, her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă, the main shareholder of the Nordis group, and three other people were put on pre-trial arrest as part of this investigation. The inquiry targets individuals and companies accused of having collected over 195 million EUR from clients without handing over the apartments.

     

    112 – The buildings of over 100 public and private institutions in Romania will be lit in red today, marking the European 112 Day. By means of a symbolic visual approach, the Special Telecommunications Service wants to draw attention to the instrumental role of the single emergency number and to encourage citizens to use it responsibly. Abusive emergency calls can jeopardize the swift intervention of specialized teams where it is needed the most, Service officials say. In 2024, as a result of the efforts of the relevant authorities and emergency response services, as well as other government partners and private telecommunications operators, the number of non-emergency calls decreased by nearly one million compared to previous years. 112 Emergency Service operators took over 9.7 million calls, of which 60.45% were actual emergencies, the Special Telecommunications Service also reports.

     

    GLOBAL TRADE – France’s Industry Minister, Marc Ferracci, told a TF1 interview that Europe should respond in a firm and united manner to the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, also expressing hope such a response would happen soon. On Monday, the U.S. president substantially increased tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 25%, “without exceptions or exemptions”, in the hope this step would help struggling U.S. industries. However, the measure risks triggering a trade war on several fronts, Reuters reports. (VP)

  • February 5, 2025

    February 5, 2025

    BUDGET – The state budget for 2025 is being debated in a joint plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, after it was approved, on February 1, by the ruling coalition government. The budget focuses on development, Finance Minister Tánczos Barna said, with record funds allotted to investments and with provisions for reducing public spending. The Romanian official gave details regarding the figures underlying this year’s budget: an economic growth rate of 2.5% and an average inflation rate of 4.4 percent. The main target of the government is to reduce the budget deficit to 7% of GDP, without taking into account, however, increases in taxes and duties.

     

    MEETING – The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday, met in Bucharest with the European Commission Vice-President, Romanian Roxana Mînzatu. The two discussed the role of education in combating disinformation and manipulation, as well as strengthening the democratic resilience of European societies. Commissioner Mînzatu, who takes charge of Social Rights and Employment, highlighted the need for investments in basic skills, technical and vocational education.

     

    AMBASSADORS – Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is today meeting the ambassadors of the EU member states accredited in Bucharest. The meeting is hosted by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Poland took over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Hungary on January 1, 2025, for a period of six months, in a difficult geopolitical context, with European security, support for Ukraine and the consolidation of the economy as its top priorities.

     

    INVESTIGATION – The Bucharest Court of Appeal is today ruling on the proposals for the preemptive arrest of 11 people detained in the Nordis investigation. The list includes the former PSD head of the Chamber of Deputies’ Legal Committee, Laura Vicol, and her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă, the main shareholders of Nordis. According to prosecutors, the two allegedly spent huge amounts of money on goods and services exclusively for their personal benefit, after tricking clients into buying apartments in buildings that were no longer built. Ioana Băsescu, the eldest daughter of former president Traian Băsescu, and former PSD deputy Andreea Cosma, were also deposed in the investigation for their involvement in the Nordis affair as public notaries. The total amount embezzled reportedly exceeds 70 million EUR.

     

    PROPOSAL – Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have categorically dismissed the proposal of US President Donald Trump, made in a press conference at the White House alongside the Israeli Prime Minister, regarding the takeover of the Gaza Strip by the United States and the relocation of Palestinians to other areas in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has stated that it will not establish relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. Also, the leadership of the Islamist group Hamas has said that the plan to relocate the population of Gaza would be a recipe for chaos and tensions in the region.

     

    HALEP – The tennis world has reacted following Romanian player Simona Halep’s announcement that she was retiring. Halep made the announcement on Tuesday evening in Cluj-Napoca (northwest), after losing in the first round of the Transylvania Open. The organizers of the Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament, which Halep won in 2018, conveyed a message on X: “Our 2018 champion, Simona Halep, has announced her retirement. We wish you all the best for the next chapter in your life, Simona”. The organizers of the Wimbledon tournament also commented on the Romanian’s announcement: “Our 2019 singles champion, @Simona_Halep, has ended her professional tennis career – we wish her all the best after her retirement”. (VP)