Reaction after Hotnews wrote about Hrebenciuc's presence at Expo Osaka: “MAE was not informed about this event” / The institution announces the modification of the partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce

The event attended by Viorel Hrebenciuc and Victor Ponta was private, was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR) and did not take place in the Romanian Pavilion, transmits the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Hotnews wrote that Viorel Hrebenciuc, definitively sentenced to prison in a file of Romania.

• Hotnews wrote on Saturday that at the “Romanian Day” events, at Osaka, a delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania with several “heavy names” from Romanian politics was also present.
• According to images published on Facebook by Tomoyasu Kato, Romania's honorary consul in Osaka, Romania was represented by a delegation of Mihai Daraban (CCIR president), Victor Ponta, Viorel Hrebenciuc and Ovidiu Silaghi.

Five hours after the Artnews article, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came out with a press release stating that the event in question was not part of the events organized by the Romanian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka for marking the Romanian Day, but was private, was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR) and not carried out in the Romanian Pavilion.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not informed about this event, about the guests and participants in it and did not hire any expense for its organization,” the ministry says.

MAE introduces clauses for partnerships

The institution points out that, in order to avoid image problems, it ordered that “the institutional partnerships of the ministry with non -governmental institutions such as trade chambers will include, in addition to the current clauses, specific provisions related to the image of Romania”.

“Practically, the automatic exclusion from partnerships with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for at least two years, of the institutions that, through the activities and reputation of Romania will be taken into account by associating with criminally convicted persons, respectively organizations associated with corruption acts, influence trafficking or incompatible activities,” the MAE standards are mentioned.

Viorel Hrebenciuc, who was present at Osaka in the CCIR delegation, was definitively sentenced to 3 years in prison, in September 2021, being accused of DNA of being involved in determining officials of the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) for this institution to return to the decision to withdraw the License of Giga Tv – controlled by Giga Tv – Ştefan “Pinalti”.

He was released conditionally in July 2022 after executing less than one third of the punishment.