IMPARȚIALITATE·INTEGRITATE·EFICIENȚĂ
January, 25th, 2021
No. 46/VIII/3
Press release
In the case made public through the press releases no. 22 from January 11, 2021 and, respectively, 38/VIII/3 from January 15, 2021, the prosecutors within the National Anticorruption Directorate – the Section for combatting offences assimilated to corruption offences ordered the initiation of the criminal action against the defendant POPESCU-TĂRICEANU CĂLIN CONSTANTIN ANTON, at the time the offence was committed, Prime Minister of the Romanian government, charged with the offence of bribe taking.
The prosecutors' ordinance for carrying out the criminal investigation shows that there are data and evidence showing that, in the context described in the two above mentioned press releases, the defendant Popescu-Tăriceanu Călin Constantin Anton allegedly requested and received, indirectly, during 2007-2008, from the representatives of an Austrian company, material benefits amounting to USD 800,000, consisting in the payment of consultancy services, in exchange for the exercise of its office duties in such a way as to adopt a series of decisions favourable to the company.
The defendant Popescu-Tăriceanu Călin Constantin Anton was informed about his legal status in the criminal proceedings in accordance with art. 309 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
It should be mentioned that the launch of the criminal action represents a stage of the criminal proceedings regulated by the Criminal Procedure Code, carried out in order to create the procedural framework for gathering of evidence, an activity which cannot, under any circumstances, violate the principle of presumption of innocence.
THE INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE