How the Government responds to accusations of “scandalous” influence peddling in the SAFE program, brought by PSD / A law firm of which councilor Oanai Gheorghiu is a member received money

In a response to HotNews, the Executive claims that the hiring of the law firm that also includes the liberal Cristian Băcanu, honorary adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Oanai Gheorghiu, for consulting on the SAFE program fully complies with the legal provisions.

The explanations come after the PSD denounced the “scandalous influence peddling carried out in the office of the dismissed prime minister”, Ilie Bolojan, in favor of a German supplier.

In a statement published on Tuesday, the social democrats complained that the firm contracted for legal services was in a conflict of interest: “on the one hand, it provided consultancy to the Government of Romania, and on the other hand, it had the capacity of legal representative of the German group in many other legal matters”.

In response, the representatives of the Prime Minister's Chancellery say that the firm is exclusively involved in the contractual transposition and ensuring the legal compliance of industrial cooperation agreements.

“The purpose of legal services is to contractually transpose and ensure legal compliance of industrial cooperation agreements […] the role of the law society was not to negotiate commercial conditions related to one program or another, but to propose the legal mechanisms that ensure that the industry in Romania will have a positive impact as a result of these contracts”, the Prime Minister's Chancellery sent, in response to HotNews.

“Once completed, the industrial cooperation agreements are signed by the authority that purchases the equipment, MEDAT, and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister as the coordinator of the SAFE working group”, stated the Government, in response.

The CMS company collects more than 60% of the fund allocated for legal advice in the SAFE program

The executive also states that consulting services are offered for 4 months, in exchange for the sum of 306,000 lei, to which VAT is added. Practically, more than half of the envelope allocated for legal advice in the preparation of cooperation agreements from the SAFE program, which totals 500,000 lei (+VAT).

Four law firms have received requests for tenders from the Government. The selection criteria were experience, scope and price of legal aid services, the Government added. Thus, the CMS law firm was chosen because it offered the lowest price.

Former PNL deputy, in the consultancy firm contracted by the Boloajan Government

The PSD accusations of influence peddling came after Antena 3 CNN aired an invoice issued by a law firm where former PNL deputy Cristian Băcanu also works.

“The dismissed Prime Minister, Lie Bolojan, has the legal and political obligation to explain to the Romanian taxpayers how the law firm that advised him in this case was selected, considering the major conflict of interest in which it was, as it worked for both sides in the negotiation: on the one hand, it offered consultancy to the Government of Romania, and on the other hand, it had the capacity of legal representative of the German group in many other legal cases”, the social democrats stated in the statement sent on Tuesday.

In addition, the social democrats claim a “security breach” by appointing the liberal to the position of honorary adviser to the deputy prime minister Oana Gheorghiu.

“How did the dismissed deputy prime minister and the dismissed prime minister allow this character, in an obvious conflict of interest, to have access to sensitive government information that could favor the German arms supplier in the secret negotiations with the Romanian state?”, PSD also accused.

Contacted by HotNews, lawyer Cristian Băcanu, an employee of the firm contracted by the state for consulting services, did not respond until the time of publication of this article.

Asked if CMS was favored in this contract due to the connection of an employee with the formation of which the dismissed prime minister is a member, the spokeswoman of the Government did not want to offer additional comments. Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu refused to come up with a point of view.