Bolojan categorically rejects the PSD accusations related to SAFE. “When you disturb, those who are disturbed do not owe you”

Ilie Bolojan assured that the procedures related to the SAFE (Security Action For Europe) military procurement program were “transparent” and “correct”, suggesting that the accusations coming from the PSD are motivated by the reforms he promoted as head of the Government.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PSD had accused a “scandalous influence peddling carried out in the office of the dismissed prime minister, Ilie Bolojan, for the realization of a secret agreement between the Government of Romania and a private German supplier of military equipment”.

According to the social democrats, the law firm that provided consultancy to the Government had also legally represented the German firm in other cases, and, in addition, Cristian Băcanu, honorary adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu, was remunerated by the firm in question.

Bolojan denies the allegations

On Wednesday evening, on B1 TV, Ilie Bolojan claimed that the procedures related to SAFE were carried out “transparently” and “would not have passed through all the filters, through all the institutions of this country, because everyone was present there, if it had not been done in a correct manner”.

The interim prime minister said that the rollout of SAFE will end this month, and the Government wanted to ensure that the commitments of investors regarding the location of part of the production capacities in Romania “are armored by legal formulas”.

“Practically, in the end, after all things were resolved, we needed to make sure that the commitments that the investors assumed related to the location in Romania of part of these production capacities necessary to strengthen our defense industry are armored by legal formulas”, declared Bolojan.

He stated that “it is not about anything else, but simply about closing some contracts, in such a way that there are clauses ensuring that the investment commitments will be made in Romania.

“Based on an analysis of companies that are competent in this field, based on the price analysis, of the lowest price, a legal assistance service was contracted, with the Romanian representative of an international company, in such a way that we can close, with these insurance measures, this contract”, the prime minister also declared.

When asked about the fact that Băcanu, the adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghiu, was remunerated by the company involved in the negotiations between the Government and the German supplier, Ilie Bolojan answered: “I don't see any form of conflict of interest, because, at least on this component, consider that Mrs. Gheorghiu was not involved in these aspects. She has another area of ​​competence.”

Bolojan accuses “a very strong line of attack from all sides”

The PNL leader, whose Government was dismissed on May 5, by the PSD-AUR motion of no confidence, after the decision of the Social Democrats to withdraw its support, suggested that the accusations related to SAFE are motivated by his pro-reform actions.

“These days, if you've seen, there's a very strong line of attack from all sides, because what we did during this period certainly disturbed a lot, and when you disturb, those who are disturbed do not owe you, and including the running of the SAFE program was done transparently, it was done in the right way, and it would not have passed through all the filters, through all the institutions of this country, because everyone was there, if it was not done in a way correct. I assure you of this”, concluded Ilie Bolojan.