Heavy influence peddling at the top

PDL senator Mircea Banias has been indicted by anti-corruption prosecutors on charges of influence peddling. The division for fighting corruption of the National Anti-Corruption Department (DNA) is investigating the PDL senator of Constanţa, Mircea Banias and the secretary general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Laurenţiu Mironescu, who were both brought in for questioning at the headquarters of the DNA. Mircea Banias and Laurenţiu Mironescu are suspects in a case of tax evasion with oil products brought in the port of Constanţa, as the investigation was started by the Prosecutors" Office of Bucharest, and transferred to the DNA due to the loss, which reached 1 million Euros in two months.

Dozens of searches took place yesterday morning, in Bucharest and Constanţa, which also targeted the home of the secretary general of the Ministry of Administration and Internal Affairs Laurenţiu Mironescu. The searches were performed by the border policemen, coordinated by the prosecutors of the DNA. The border policemen also searched the building of the Agigea Sud customs office, as well as the headquarters of Romtrans in the city. Also, the searches targeted the heads of the customs offices of Constanţa and Bucharest, as well as several customs officers and a border policeman of Naval Shipments of Constanţa. The deputy managing director of the Ship Division of the Constanţa border police, Adrian Pătraşcu, was brought by the police to the National Anti-corruption Department (DNA), to be heard in this case. All of the above are suspected of being involved in the case that the Border Police has been working on since October 2010, concerning the illegal shipment of contraband goods coming from China in containers, through the ports of the Black Sea.

After the meeting between PM Emil Boc and the Minister of Administration and Internal Affairs Traian Igaş, the secretary general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Mironescu was dismissed.

Judicial sources said that dozens of ships carrying crude oil were brought in to the Port of Constanţa, where they were not adequately checked following the alleged interventions made by the PDL senator Mircea Banias and by the secretary general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lurenţiu Mironescu, as well as by other customs workers. Using dummy corporations, persons with direct interests in this business, would bring in diesel oil which would not be taxed in the customs, or would be taxed according to a different category, which excluded excising, and they would later be sold on the black market. Senator Mircea Banias is associated with Laurenţiu Mironescu in "Euro Shipping Services" SRL. "Euro Shipping Services" SRL was registered with the Trade Registry in September 2001 and has the following shareholders: Ioan Bălan (30%) and Laurenţiu Mironescu and Mircea Banias with 35% each.

Mircea Banias was extremely upset with the decision of the National Anti-Corruption Department, saying he could not understand the reasons for his indictment, claiming that he never spoke to any workers in the Port of Constanţa and he had no knowledge of the shipments from China. When asked by the press if he knew Laurenţiu Mironescu, the senator said they were friends, and that since 2005 they have been associates in a company specializing in maritime business. At 9:00 on Monday, Senator Banias was brought by policemen to the headquarters of the National Anti-Corruption Department, where he was informed of the charges being brought against him, and he left the hearing three hours later. According to Article 72 of the Constitution, members of the Parliament can not be searched, detained or arrested without the Authorization of the Chamber that they are part of, after having been heard.

PDL senator Mircea Banias was also charged with connivance with the criminal in the case concerning the sale of several industrial engines of UCM Reşiţa to the company of Said Baaklini, an acquisition which led to the repayment of VAT of 60 million Euros. Mircea Banias was investigated in that case together with Said Baaklini, Adrian Chebuţiu, Coriolan Adrian Preda and Eugen Bogatu. In February, Said Baaklini, Adrian Chebuţiu, Coriolan Adrian Preda and Eugen Bogatu were indicted in the UCM Reşiţa case. At the time, the prosecutors of the anti-corruption department decided that PDL senator of Constanţa, Mircea Banias. would be released from criminal prosecution.