AUDIO “Are you a terrorist? Journalist?”. The journalist from “Cultura la duba”, threatened by a lawyer who introduced herself as the “representative” of the Ministry of Culture

Journalist Alexandra Tănăsescu, from the independent publication “Cultura la dubă”, says that she was threatened and pressured to reveal her sources in a telephone conversation with the management of the “George Enescu” National Museum and with a lawyer, Lidia Chiran, who introduced herself as “the legal representative of the Ministry of Culture”. The discussion took place after the publication of an investigation about the conditions in which George Enescu's manuscripts, belongings of the Treasury, are stored. The editorial office published the audio recording of the call.

• HotNews tried to get a point of view from the Minister of Culture, András Demeter, in relation to the conversation published by “Cultura la dube” and the role of the lawyer Lidia Chiran in this situation. By the time of publication of the article, he did not answer the phone.

Journalist Alexandra Tănăsescu, from Cultura la duba, says that she was called by the manager of the “George Enescu” National Museum, Cristina Andrei, during a meeting of the Board of Directors.

According to the journalist, the call was put on speaker during the meeting. The manager went on to charge that the published investigation was “a defamatory article with false information,” without specifying what information was allegedly wrong. “You did not have our consent either to photograph or to publish such things,” she told the journalist.

During the discussion, a person who introduced himself as “representative of the Ministry, lawyer Lidia Chiran” intervened. She began to ask the journalist questions about how the investigation was carried out, about the sources used and about whistleblowers.

The lawyer said that the publication of the article could attract the responsibility of the journalist and threatened with a criminal complaint: “And why did we call you? Note! Note that from the moment you published such an article, whatever happens, lady forbid, with the patrimony, it is your responsibility and I will advise the council to file a criminal complaint, madam, on these issues, because we are obliged to protect ourselves legally. We consider it an attack on us.”

When the journalist said she was recording the conversation, the lawyer reacted: “You're not allowed, you didn't ask for my permission. I'm going to file a criminal complaint that you recorded me.” During the exchange of words, she asked: “Are you a terrorist? Journalist? How to register? I am a lawyer at the Bucharest Bar.”

Who is lawyer Lidia Chiran

Lidia Chiran introduced herself in the conversation as “the legal representative of the Ministry of Culture”. “Cultura la duba” says, however, that it is not clear in what capacity he participated in the meeting of the Board of Directors of the “George Enescu” National Museum. The nominal composition of the council is not published on the institution's website, and the museum did not respond to the editor's request to specify who its members are.

According to “Cultura la dubă”, Lidia Chiran's law office has collected approximately 175,000 euros from the Ministry of Culture and the Project Management Unit within the ministry, for legal services, representation in court or preparation of legal documents, according to data from SICAP, in the last eight years. Only in 2025, the lawyer would have billed approximately 30,000 euros for the Project Management Unit.

Control Corps sent to the museum

After the appearance of the investigation about the storage conditions of the heritage, the Minister of Culture, András Demeter, publicly announced that he will send the Control Body to the “George Enescu” National Museum.

“The commission will check the reported aspects, analyze the conservation conditions during the renovation and evaluate the way of managing the cultural assets, with the possibility of extending the control over all the elements considered relevant”, the Ministry of Culture said.

In the same message, the institution thanked the journalists for reporting the situation: “The Ministry of Culture thanks the journalists who report possible irregularities and contribute, through their actions, to the protection of cultural heritage.”

HotNews tried to get a point of view from the minister in relation to the conversation published by Cultura la duba and the role of lawyer Lidia Chiran in this situation. By the time of publication of the article, he did not answer the phone.

The investigation that triggered the reaction of the museum's management shows that George Enescu's manuscripts, assets classified in the National Treasury, have been stored for approximately four and a half years in containers placed outdoors, in the courtyard of the “George Enescu” National Museum.

According to the publication “Cultura la dubă”, the documents were moved there during the restoration works of the Cantacuzino Palace, and specialists quoted in the investigation warn that exposure to extreme temperatures, such as heatwave or frost, can affect the preservation of the heritage.