IMPARȚIALITATE·INTEGRITATE·EFICIENȚĂ
February, 15th, 2018
No. 132/VIII/3
Press release
The prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate – the Section for Combating the Offences Assimilated to Those of Corruption have ordered the launch of the criminal action and the judicial control on bail, for 60 days starting on February 14th 2018, against the defendant:
IRINEL POPESCU, who was, at the time the offences were committed, a President of the National Health Insurance House (CNAS) and who was charged with the offence of taking bribe.
The defendant Irinel Popescu deposited the bail amounting to EUR 150,000 to a bank unit, recorded in his name at the order of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice – the National Anticorruption Directorate.
The prosecutors' ordinance shows that there are data and evidence that outline the following state of facts:
During 2007-2009, the defendant Irinel Popescu, in his capacity as President of the National Health Insurance House (CNAS), requested from the representatives of two software companies to conclude legal assistance and service contracts with two companies, amounting to EUR 170,000.
The above mentioned undue benefits had been requested by the defendant in exchange for concluding two addenda to a contract signed between the National Health Insurance House (CNAS) and one of the software companies (see the press release no. 690/VIII/3 from May 23rd 2016).
The anticorruption prosecutors ordered this preventive measure considering that, during the investigations, the defendant Popescu Irinel had a behaviour that aimed, on the one hand, at jeopardizing the proper conduct of the criminal investigation and, on the other hand, to reducing the number of assets for which the criminal investigation body could have ordered the seizure.
While under judicial control, the defendant Irinel Popescu must comply with the following obligations:
a) to come to the criminal investigation body whenever he is called,
b) to inform immediately the criminal investigation body about any change in his residence,
c) to present himself to the police body appointed to supervise him according to the supervision program designed for him by the police body or whenever he is requested to do so,
d) not to leave the Romanian territory, without the prior consent of the case prosecutor,
e) to inform periodically, according to the supervision program, relevant information about his means of existence,
f) not to communicate, directly or indirectly, in any way, with the people mentioned in the prosecutor’s ordinance for the judicial control,
g) not to own, use and carry guns.
The defendant’s attention was drawn to the fact that in case he violates his obligations in bad faith, the measure of judicial control may be replaced by the measure of house arrest or the measure of pre-trial detention.
The defendant Irinel Popescu was informed about his legal status and the charges brought against him, according to the provisions of article 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