The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) carried out on Tuesday five searches in Bucharest as part of an investigation into an EUR 8 million fraud with EU funds for the purchase of medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPPO announced in a statement.In the period 2020 - 2022, a criminal network was formed to manipulate the public procurement of protective masks, disinfectants and other medical supplies for hospitals, schools and other municipal state facilities, so as to benefit predetermined suppliers, which are understood to have been part of the scheme. Three individuals under investigation have been brought to the EPPO's office in Bucharest to be informed of their status as suspects.The supply of the medical equipment was funded by the programme Recovery assistance for cohesion and the territories of Europe (REACT-EU). It is estimated that the activities documented so far in the investigation caused the EU budget a damage of over EUR 8 million. The investigation is ongoing, in order to ascertain the extent of the suspected criminal activities and the overall financial damage caused.The investigation and the searches are conducted with the support of the EPPO Support Structure in Romania, the Romanian Police - Special Operations Directorate, Romania's Anti-Corruption General Directorate, and the Special Intervention Brigade of the Romanian Gendarmerie.
In the context in which agri-food systems are responsible for almost one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, Auchan Romania assumes an active role in the transition of its supply chain toward a more sustainable model. At the second edition of the Climate Supplier Event, organized under the aegis of the Climate Change Summit, the […]
Janiva Magness, the winner of seven Blues Music Awards following 26 nominations, and nominated for a Grammy for a career spanning 17 albums, is set to perform at the 14th edition of the Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place between August 14–16, 2026. Magness is one of the most valuable and influential […]
Auction house Artmark announced a major auction for this winter featuring an engraving created by Francisco Goya, the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romania's late communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu received this gift from King Juan Carlos I as a gesture of diplomacy. The engraving entitled “The Engagement – Capricho […]
Authorities managing Romania's Bicaz Gorges–Hășmaș National Park has built a fish ladder system on the Bicaz River, which will allow protected species to migrate and reproduce. There are several bridges and small bridge structures in the Bicaz River that have a “bottom sill,” meaning small waterfalls. Fish that do not jump like the trout cannot […]
The far-right opposition parties in the Romanian Parliament are set to file a motion of no confidence against the government headed by prime minister Ilie Bolojan. The motion, authored by senator Ninel Peia of the Peace – Romania First group, is specifically aimed at the reformist party Save Romania Union (USR), and is entitled “Romania […]
Romania's iconic rock singer Adrian Pleșca, known as “Artan,” died on Tuesday, December 2, after a fatal stroke, at the age of 64. The artist founded the well-known band “Timpuri Noi” in 1982 and “Partizan” in 2001, and was popular on the Romanian rock scene. Over the years, he left and returned to the two bands. Several […]
