IMPARȚIALITATE·INTEGRITATE·EFICIENȚĂ
March, 3rd, 2021
No. 180/VIII/3
Press release
In the case made public through the press release no. 46/VIII/3 from January 25, 2021, the prosecutors within the National Anticorruption Directorate – the Section for combatting offences assimilated to corruption offences sent to trial, without deprivation of freedom, 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 taking of bribe.
The indictment drawn up by the prosecutors presents the following state of facts:
In the above mentioned capacity, the defendant Popescu-Tăriceanu Călin Constantin Anton allegedly requested (during 2007) and received (during 2008), indirectly, 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, respectively government decisions no. 199/2008, 634/2008, 1193/2008 and 1451/2008.
The act of requesting committed by the Prime Minister Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu was allegedly carried out, between April and May 2007, indirectly, through a businessman (sent to court in 2019 for complicity in bribery) , which allegedly requested on behalf of the Prime Minister a fee of 10% of the amount of additional documents/payments to a commercial contract concluded by the Austrian company, in exchange for the adoption of government decisions that would allow this, according to the interests of the company.
The act of receiving by the Prime Minister Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu, during 2008, indirectly, would have been accomplished through two receiving actions (on November 7, 2008 of the amount of 500,000 USD and on November 25, 2008 of $ 300,000).
The total amount of USD 800,000, representing the kickback paid by the representatives of the Austrian company, through offshore companies, would have been used for the benefit of the dignitary, to cover some campaign expenses, being transferred to a consulting company.
In order to confiscate the object of the crime of bribery, the precautionary seizure was ordered on real estate belonging to the suspect Popescu-Tăriceanu Călin Constantin Anton up to the amount of 800,000 USD, equivalent in lei - 3,204,640 lei.
The case was sent to trial at the High Court of Cassation and Justice with the proposal to maintain the precautionary measures ordered on the assets of the defendant.
It is worth mentioning that this stage of the criminal proceedings represents, according to the Criminal Procedure Code, the completion of the criminal investigation and the referral of the indictment to the court for trial, an activity that under any circumstances, cannot infringe the principle of presumption of innocence.
It should be mentioned that this press release has been drawn up according to the provisions of art. 28 paragraph 4 of the Best Practice Guide on the relations between the Judiciary and the media, approved by the Decision of the Plenum of the Superior Council of Magistracy no. 197/2019.
THE INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE