Grindeanu's reaction after the searches of his former chief of staff: “I wish for him, personally, that he is innocent”
The PSD leader, Sorin Grindeanu, commented on Tuesday the DNA searches at the Romanian Road Authority (ARR), after the prosecutors targeted Cristian Anton, his former chief of staff, in a file investigating acts of corruption and similar crimes.
Sorin Grindeanu Photo: Inquam photos
“Whoever doesn't respect the law should pay! I don't know the details. I wish for him, personally, to be innocent. If someone makes a mistake, it doesn't matter if he was a chief of staff or a minister, pay!”, said Sorin Grindeanu.
His reaction comes after anti-corruption prosecutors targeted Cristian Anton, his former chief of staff, in a file regarding alleged acts of corruption.
The prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate – Cluj Territorial Service are conducting searches on Tuesday at 23 locations in Bucharest and the counties of Bacău, Dolj, Timiș and Vâlcea, including the ARR headquarters and the homes of individuals or companies. The investigation concerns influence peddling, influence buying, bribery and the creation of an organized criminal group.
According to the prosecutors, the exams for the professional certificates of freight drivers were fraudulent: the candidates either did not show up for the test, or received the answers directly in the exam hall, for amounts between 600 and 1,500 euros, and part of the money reached the officials as bribes.
“In the period 2024-present, several unqualified persons appealed to holders of certificates related to the transport of people/goods, who brokered the obtaining of the certificates in an illicit manner, requesting various sums of money in order to traffic the influence they had with civil servants from the Romanian Road Authority, who were part of the examination commissions related to obtaining the certificates, the candidates not appearing for the exam and being all of these admitted following the so-called passing of the exam, or by presenting themselves and receiving the correct answer sheet from the ARR examiner in the examination room, part of the amount of money collected reaching them as a bribe“, judicial sources show.
Cristian Anton, Grindeanu's former chief of staff when he was Minister of Transport, is suspected of being part of a criminal group that charged fees for passing exams.
DNA suspects that the phenomenon extends to several counties, not just Bucharest. The suspects will be brought to hearings, and sums of money have already been found during some searches.
