A scandal broke out on Friday, July 25, after it was made public that\u00a0deputy prime minister Drago\u0219 Anastasiu was a witness in an older corruption case involving one of his companies. The company, Eurolines,\u00a0paid bribes for eight years to a financial inspector from Romania\u2019s tax agency ANAF.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Records from the Anti-Corruption Directorate show that between 2009 and 2017, inspector Georgeta Angela Burlacu requested the signing of a fictitious consultancy contract with her son\u2019s company, and Anastasiu\u2019s company, the bus service Eurolines, paid her EUR 2,000 per month, totaling around EUR 150,000, according to Biziday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Burlacu was indicted in 2018 and sentenced in 2023 to 5 years and 2 months in prison for bribery and influence peddling. Her son was not convicted.<\/p>\n Before the judges, Drago\u0219 Anastasiu stated that \u201che perceived this proposal as a form of blackmail, but also as a form of protection in relation to ANAF,\u201d being told that \u201ceverything will be fine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The deputy prime minister, who is now regarded as the spearhead in governmental cost-cutting efforts, reacted quickly after the news. \u201cIn the case, I was a witness, not a whistleblower. There was no action taken against me, and I had no legal advantage,\u201d Anastasiu said.<\/p>\n The businessman also added that back then, the Romanian state pressured and even blackmailed companies, \u2018recommending\u2019 consultancy contracts with a firm offered up by the official to fix so-called irregularities discovered during audits.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen, as an entrepreneur, you manage several companies that are themselves led by managers, it is impossible to have up-to-date and detailed information about all ongoing operations. But when you do have full information, you must act correctly and within the spirit of the law. That is what I did. I hope that more and more entrepreneurs will find the courage to never accept pressures like those many of us have been subjected to,\u201d Anastasiu said on Facebook.<\/p>\n The government defended Anastasiu in a public press release, stating that he \u201cdid not have the status of whistleblower, suspect, defendant, or convict in the DNA case. His only status was that of a witness.\u201d<\/p>\n