Two businessmen are under criminal investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors in a case in which they are accused, among other things, of buying influence and money laundering in relation to the way in which a framework-contract, worth over 50 million RON, for public acquisitions of protective masks was concluded.
According to a release from the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) sent, on Thursday, to AGERPRES, prosecutors with the National Anticorruption Directorate - the Department to combat crime assimilated to corruption have disposed the start of criminal investigations regarding two businessmen and SC Sanimed International Impex SRL, as they are accused of committing the crimes of instigation to abuse of office if the public servant obtained, for himself or others, undue gains; buying influence, money laundering, as well as forgery and fraud (in different degrees of participation).
Anticorruption prosecutors note in the ordinance that the investigations are focusing on the presume illegal way in which, in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a framework agreement for public acquisitions of protective masks, worth 50 million RON, was concluded, Agerpres.ro informs.
In the mentioned context, investigators say, the two businessmen had determined public servants with the National Office for Centralized Acquisitions (ONAC) so that, through infringements to primary legislation, they would allow the signing of a contract between the intermediary company, controlled by the two businessmen and the mentioned public institution, that would regard the acquisition of 1,750,000 protective masks.
"Because the intermediary company did not have the capacity to respect the clauses in the contract (timely delivery of masks), several documents were forged to allow it to avoid payment to the Romanian state of penalties worth 12,786,706 RON. In order to ensure the obtaining/conduct in good conditions of the public acquisition contracts for sanitary materials, one of the suspects had paid another person, in the form of a contract for consultancy, representation and services - intermediary, the sum of 568,820 RON," the release mentions, Agerpres.ro informs.
Through the described method, DNA said that the interests of the companies participating in the procedure and of the public institutions involved in actions to prevent and respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic were affected.
"At the same time, undue gains were obtained, worth a total of 22,906,031 RON, for the companies controlled by the suspects (both for the one concluding the abovementioned contracts as well as intermediary firms)," the prosecutors show.