The prosecutors will ask the court for the remand of the ANI President
The ANI (National Integrity Agency) President, Horia Georgescu, was arrested on Monday by the DNA (National Anticorruption Directorate) prosecutors in a file regarding his activities at the National Agency for Property Restitution (ANPR).
Prosecutors will ask the court for his remand on Tuesday.
DNA representatives stated in a press release that Horia Georgescu is charged with three offenses of abuse of office with particularly serious consequences, if the civil servant obtained an undeserved benefit for him or for others. The acts were committed, according to the prosecutors, by Georgescu from his membership in the Central Commission for Compensation, of the ANPR.
The DNA file is based on a complaint submitted by the ANPR in January of this year.
During January 2015, the Romanian Government – ANPR notified the DNA about the fact that during 2008-2009, the evaluation reports of buildings for which compensations were given according to Law no. 247/2005 did not meet the requirements of the International Evaluation Standards on the market value of buildings.
Specifically, during that time, the Central Commission for Compensation, of the ANPR, of which the defendant Georgescu Horia was part of, approved the evaluation reports, prepared by evaluation experts, corresponding to a total number of 3 files, contrary to the International Evaluation Standards, to Law no. 247/2005 regarding reform in property and justice as well as some additional measures, in which the buildings for which compensation was being requested were overrated.
The total value of the buildings subjected to compensation amounted, according to expert evaluators, to 129.709.168 EUR (467.448.907 RON).
The analysis of the evaluation reports for the 3 cases showed that the designated evaluators did not hold correspondence with banks, notaries, land registry offices, real estate agencies etc., regarding the transactions which had already been done with similar properties.
In two cases, the designated evaluators used, in the direct comparison method, “comparables” consisting in sale ads published online or in newspapers, without holding correspondence with information holders regarding certain real estate transactions which would have constituted an objective criterion to determine the actual price of the real estate market.
In conclusion, the Central Commission for Compensation issued, regarding the 3 files, compensation based on evaluation reports which did not comply with the requirements of the International Evaluation Standards on the market value of real estate, nor with the provisions of art. 10, paragraph 6 and 7 of Law no. 247/2005, regarding reform in property and justice, as well as some additional measures, over-evaluating the real estate by approximately 75.00.000 EUR, with this amount the State Budget being damaged, while the holders and the assignees obtaining undeserved compensation
National Anticorruption Directorate
press release
According to the DNA, criminal prosecution is being carried out regarding other persons as well.
O.C.