Gheorghe Nețoiu (66 years old) was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison with execution on March 4, 2014. 11 years after that moment, the former investor from Rocar, Craiova and Dinamo directly attacks Traian Băsescu for the arrest and declares himself clean in the famous “Transfer File”.
– Mr. Nețoiu, you were convicted in the Transfers File. What were you charged with?
– Dinamo had some contracts signed with some companies from outside. Dinamo bought a player for 200,000 and they put a clause of one million. Mutu, for example, had a 2 million contract and you couldn't keep him. I had with Alexa.
– That's right.
– We had a power of attorney to sign with Beijing Guoan. I signed with Beijing Guoan and it was written there: “50% the outside company, the impresarios and those who found the club and 50% Dinamo”. Why were we accused? That I didn't sign! I had a delegation, signed by Mr. Badea and Borcea. So they left 50%-50%, as was in the contract. I wasn't even on Dinamo's staff when the contracts with the respective companies were signed.
– Well, what was the problem then?
– They found a reason with the 800,000 clause. The tax of 90,000 dollars was paid, and of the amount of 400,000 that the outsiders were supposed to receive, they received 310,000. They thought it was me, Borcea and Giovanni to blame. They split the damage in three, about twenty-something thousand dollars each. I immediately deposited the money and they tried me without prejudice.
“Băsescu, Coldea and Dîncu arrested us through a specially brought judge”
– Were you the only one?
– I, Gică Popescu and her Jean Pădureanu were tried without prejudice. Gica paid a million or so for Bratu's transfer. Acquittal, suspension, conviction. These were the decisions. But you know very well that it was a 100% fabricated case. It had nothing to do with it! I was deceived to the detriment of the Dinamo club…
– You were sentenced to three years and four months.
– Yes. But a year and a half after the transfer I brought back Dan Alexa. I paid 150,000 euros to Beijing Guoan. So, how could I cheat the Dinamo club if it had collected 400,000 euros? Then I sold it for another 400,000 euros in Timișoara. Fabricated file!
– Mr. Netoiu…
– It's the first time I talk! Leave me alone! So what did Dinamo have to do with Galațiul, Craiova or Bistrita, Rapidul? No relation… They found a form because the Federation elections were coming up. Gică Popescu had 70-75%. Mr. Burleanu, who is now president, was an adviser to Mr. Băsescu. And then, with Coldea, with Dîncu and with those who were there before, they arrested us all, through Mrs. Alexandrescu, a judge who was specially brought. After condemning us all, she was promoted.
“I was a victim of the system! Lord, we did nothing”
– I understand.
– They acquitted us, suspended us and then sentenced us… There was no prejudice! We were neither the first nor the last. Do you know Mr. Băsescu's motto from then? “No one escapes.” They also took Mr. Năstase, teachers, doctors, Mr. Voiculescu.
Traian Băsescu, former president of Romania
– So you say that you were Băsescu's victim?
– Total victim of the system, because it wasn't just Mr. Băsescu! The first was Coldea, Mrs. Kovesi, Mr. Morar from DNA, plus the great prosecutor Țuluș. He said he read in the newspaper that they don't know what we did and opened this file.
– Mr. Netoiu…
– Sir, we didn't do anything! The clubs, together with the impresarios, brought almost 500 million in 10 years from the sale of players. Players who then left and played again. 60% collected by the state. So he arrested us, who brought 60% of our money to the state budget, on which we had already paid taxes.
– And how long did you stay?
– One year and nine months. I went out on the 24th of December. I made Christmas at home. I arrived in the morning, I also took two trees. Everything was closed. I went to Balotești. And the next day was Christmas. But while I was in prison I built a church. From there I left and worked for Mr. Dinescu. I worked every day because time had to pass.
– Yes.
– The hardest thing was in Craiova, because we were treated like criminals! I was only going out for an hour a day… After that, I was semi-open and open. I would leave in the morning and come back in the evening.
Răzvan Burleanu
“Link with Burleanu? One hundred percent! Two in one shot”
– So you are not in a position to admit that you were wrong. Are you saying you were a victim?
– Totally! It could be seen with the naked eye. Well, where's the money? If I took any money, or any company of mine, or had something, or a right to… I had no problem. So that's exactly how it was written: “Deception to the detriment of Dinamo club”. Well, which club? Dinamo took 400 thousand and another 400 thousand on my money. Alexa came from Craiova, and I paid Alexa to Beijing Guoan after a year and a half. And it came for free. Well, the Chinese should have been shot, because they gave 800 thousand and after a year and a half he left for free!
– Do you think there was a connection between Gică Popescu's arrest and Burleanu's victory?
– One hundred percent! Two in one shot! With us, to give an example. Because Mr. Băsescu had the impression that we were making the galleries swear at him. But they also cursed us. Handled, not handled, but not by us. It was one hundred percent… But we are not the only ones in football. You know very well how many cases there have been…
– But did you ever talk to Băsescu after that?
– No. Before, yes, we used to meet at UNPR because it supported the majority in Parliament. And he said: “Lord, keep away from football!”. “Well, Mr. President, what can I do to protect myself? You know that the file is already…”, “Yes, but they won't convict you.” And he condemned us. After that, they also took his relatives. The politician got involved! He also named Coldea, Kovesi, Morar, Livia Stanciu, Macovei… The system he created. He knew everything that was going on.
– Good, but…
– Do you know what it was like? Enter the corridor… What was Mrs. Stanciu saying? President of the Supreme Court. Collaboration with SRI. Well, what was the SRI's business? Enter and goodbye! But we were not the only ones. Mr. Voiculescu, Mr. Adamescu… The worst period in Romania's life was the period with Mr. Băsescu! All Romanian investors were arrested, controlled, invented all kinds of things that had nothing to do with the truth.
The sentences from the Transfers File
- George Copos (61 years old) – 3 years and 8 months with execution
- Mihai Stoica (49 years old) – 3 years and 6 months with execution
- Cristi Borcea (44 years old) – 6 years and 4 months with execution
- Ioan Becali (61 years old) – 6 years and 4 months with execution
- Victor Becali (53 years old) – 4 years and 8 months with execution
- Jean Padureanu (78 years old) – 3 years and 4 months with execution
- Gica Popescu (47 years old) – 3 years, one month and 10 days with execution
- Gigi Neţoiu (55 years old) – 3 years and 4 months with execution
- * age at the time of conviction
“TRANSFER FILE”
It was the largest investigation targeting black money in Romanian football! It all started on February 6, 2006, when Gazeta Sporturilor launched an unprecedented journalistic investigation in Romania. The first case we dealt with was the transfer of Florin Bratu, from Rapid to Galatasaray.
March 5, 2014. The writing is not dead » It was the day when eight heavy names in football ended up behind bars, after receiving convictions in the “Transfer File”, the investigation of the GSP team.
The recipe revealed in the Gazette was almost the same: club bosses or impresarios declared transfer amounts lower than the real ones, keeping the money for themselves and, at the same time, paying a lower tax! Everything would have been done through some off-shore companies from abroad.
The National Anticorruption Directorate reacted to the evidence revealed by the Gazette and opened its own investigation. The DNA investigation accounted for 800 verified transfers, over 100 people investigated and interrogated, dozens of volumes totaling over 20,000 files.
In the end, Ioan and Victor Becali, Cristi Borcea, George Copos, Mihai Stoica, Gigi Neţoiu, Jean Pădureanu and Gică Popescu were sent to court for tax evasion and money laundering.
Gheorghe Netoiu
All were accused that, through illegal transactions in 12 transfers of football players sold between 1999-2005, they caused a damage of 1.5 million dollars to the state and a “hole” of more than 10 million dollars in the budget of League 1 clubs.
