The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Bucharest announces having filed charges against four suspects believed to be part of a criminal ring with ties to Italian mafia groups, in a case of an EUR 4.3 million subsidy fraud involving EU and national funds.In a statement this Tuesday, EPPO said that allegations are that the defendants formed a criminal group with other suspects to provide false letters of guarantee to awardees of EU-funded projects, which claimed to insure the projects against potential damages. In exchange for issuing the letters, the suspects are understood to have collected large amounts of money. According to the prosecutors, the suspects are believed to have carried out this fraudulent scheme in the name of companies registered in Czechia and Latvia, which did not have the right to issue letters of guarantee, nor the financial resources to cover the insured damages.The use of these documents resulted in an illicit gain of approximately EUR 4.3 million, most of the amount coming from the European Regional Development Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Regional Operational Programme.The move of EPPO Bucharest is the result of several investigations into criminal schemes using the same modus operandi, following house searches conducted in Romania and France in May 2023. Earlier, in 2023, other suspects were charged and are currently awaiting trial. Also, EUR 450,000 worth of assets were seized.If found guilty, the defendants face between four and 15 years of imprisonment.Based on the principle of loyal cooperation, the EPPO has alerted the Romanian Ministry of Investment and European projects about the existence of possible vulnerabilities in the management of European funds, which result in a significantly low level of protection of EU's financial interests in Romania.According to the operation methods identified in several cases, the elements that generated a high risk of fraud in EU-funded contracts consisted in the use of letters of guarantee issued by fictitious entities, or that didn't have the right to issue such documents. The bogus documents helped the fraudsters win several public award procedures, and consequently EPPO opened several investigations therein.
The Commander of the Central Military Hospital in Bucharest, Major General Florentina Ioniță-Radu, was brought to the headquarters of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) on Thursday, October 16. She was questioned in a case investigating crimes of abuse of office, complicity in abuse of office, and usurpation of official positions. After the questioning, Ioniță-Radu was […]
A draft law approved by Parliament after a negative vote in the Senate was overruled by the Chamber of Deputies, clearing the hydropower projects in the environmentally-protected areas that held the necessary permits as of mid-2007, when the environmental protection was instated, received harsh criticism from environment minister Diana Busoianu (Save Romania Union - USR). […]
Romania's minimum wage may remain unchanged in 2026, despite mounting pressure from within the ruling coalition. Government spokeswoman Ioana Dogioiu said on Thursday, October 16, that prime minister Ilie Bolojan is "in principle" against raising incomes next year. "The subject is under the prime minister's analysis. When I asked him, he replied: 'In principle - […]
The initial public offering (IPO) of Grup EM, the Romanian energy group that includes Electromontaj and Iproeb among other companies, closed on October 16 at 12:00 after two weeks of subscriptions, raising EUR 4.85 million for the 725.476 shares - the equivalent to 38% of the total number of shares offered under the IPO, for […]
Romania's economic growth will be somewhere between 0-1% and further acceleration in 2026 remains unclear, Fiscal Council head Daniel Dăianu said in a conference, as quoted by Economica.net. He toned down extreme pessimistic scenarios, such as those expressed by BRD-SocGen's chief economist, Florian...
Amid inflation, rising costs, and recent tax changes, 80% of respondents to a survey by the employers’ association Concordia believe the economic environment has deteriorated, while 71% expect further deterioration over the next 12 months. Investment plans remain cautious in this context, signaling a potential drag on economic growth. According to the survey, which included […]
