Dinel Staicu is getting ready for a new trial

Recently sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding the former International Bank of Religions, Dinel Staicu, the president of SIF "Oltenia", is getting ready for a new confrontation with the Romanian legal system. The businessman of Craiova is being indicted, together with other major names, in a case for the defrauding of "Transgaz", which is on the docket of the Court of the Second District of Bucharest. The first hearing for the trial was set for September 15th, according to information posted on the website of the court.

Topping the list of the defendants is Aurel Gabriel Coconea, the former general manager of "Transgaz". According to a communiqué by the National Anticorruption Department of 2007, Coconea is accused of having illegally concluded 14 payment conventions with five companies wholly owned by the state in the early 2000, by which he hijacked the financial circuit between state owned companies, (transporters, distributors and beneficiaries of natural gas), four companies controlled by Dinel Staicu. The four companies are "BDJ" Craiova, "Padogaz" Bucharest, "Sironex" Craiova and "Dumimpex" SM SRL Bucureşti.

Prosecutors have determined that, at the request of the managers of "Transgaz" Mediaş, state owned companies that were gas consumers, paid 132.5 million old lei (1 RON=10000 ROL) to the four companies controlled by Dinel Staicu. According to prosecutors of the n National Anticorruption Department (DNA), the four companies owned by Dinel Staicu "had no commercial activity, had no financial credibility and had no commercial relations with the companies involved in the conclusion of the settlement papers", thus causing "Transgaz" Mediaş to incur losses.

The list of defendants includes former general managers of the four companies controlled by Dinel Staicu.

Three weeks ago, Dinel Staicu was sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding the former International Bank of Religions, a ruling for which he filed an appeal. The Romanian National Securities Commission suspended Dinel Staicu for a period of two weeks from his position of chairman of SIF5. Starting last Thursday, however, Dinel Staicu returned before SIF "Oltenia", as the Ordinance by which he was suspended expired on July 1st.

The information concerning the set up of the first deadline for the trial in which Dinel Staicu is involved last week appeared in the "Southern Gazette" (Gazeta de Sud).