Romania’s Vice Prime Minister, Dragoș Anastasiu, appears as a witness in the reasoning of a final decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a corruption case where judges have established that he was actively involved in a bribery mechanism of a National Tax Administration (ANAF) official.
For 8 years, between 2009-2017, the vice premier’s companies bribed an ANAF inspector to avoid issues during inspections.
Anastasiu stated in court that he signed a fictitious contract, at the suggestion of inspector Angela Burlacu, through which monthly payments of around 2,000 euros were made in exchange for a "favorable closure" of a tax audit and VAT refunds, as reported by Mediafax.
Neither he nor his employees were charged because he reported the case to the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA).
The corruption mechanism detailed in the reasoning
According to the court's reasoning, between 2009 and 2017, Burlacu received over 784,000 lei, plus other benefits such as vacation packages and payments for family members.
Judges classified the contract as a "masked bribe" and rejected the idea that the payments were for real services. Moreover, the court deemed the justification that it was about human resources services as "ridiculous."
Anastasiu admitted that he accepted the proposal "as a form of protection" for his business, fearing a criminal case or insolvency. He believed that if he did not bribe the ANAF official, his company risked closure, and the employees would be "left in the lurch."
The current Vice Prime Minister also stated during the hearings that the official threatened a company director that he would "put the owner in prison."
Involvement of Anastasiu and the court's verdict
The Court's reasoning shows that the Vice Prime Minister and his collaborators willingly agreed to conceal the bribe through the respective contract and continued to make payments even after becoming aware of the extent of the favors offered to the inspector.
Judges note that Dragoș Anastasiu was constantly informed about the transferred sums and the benefits received by Inspector Burlacu, but did not stop the payments.
On June 22, 2023, Angela Burlacu was definitively sentenced by the Bucharest Court of Appeal to 5 years and 2 months in prison for bribery and influence peddling.
Dragoș Anastasiu acted as a witness because he reported the corruption acts.
Anastasiu's defense: Entrepreneurs are subjected to pressures
Vice Prime Minister Dragoș Anastasiu talks about the context, "a well-known one, unfortunately, for too many entrepreneurs, especially in those times 15-17 years ago."
”Some Romanian state officials pressured and even blackmailed companies, "recommending" solutions such as a consultancy contract with a company favored by the official to correct alleged irregularities found during inspections. When, as an entrepreneur, you manage multiple companies that, in turn, are led by managers, it is impossible to have up-to-date information and details about all ongoing operations. But when you have complete information, you must act correctly and in accordance with the law. That is what I did,” emphasizes Anastasiu, as quoted by Agerpres.
”I hope that more and more entrepreneurs will find the courage to never accept pressures like the ones many of us have been subjected to. I am in the Romanian Government today because I do not want other Romanian entrepreneurs to be subjected to such abuse of power by state employees who should work for the benefit of the people, not against them,” adds the Vice Prime Minister.
Government's official position
The Executive reacted publicly, stating that Dragoș Anastasiu was solely a witness in this case and was not accused, indicted, or convicted.
“Vice Prime Minister Dragoș Anastasiu did not have the status of whistleblower, defendant, accused, or convicted in the DNA case resolved by Decision 1258/2023. His only status was that of a witness. He was heard in this capacity by prosecutors and judges who did not consider that the conditions for changing this unique status were met. The criminal case was closed by a final decision. The circumstances of the case have no connection to Dragoș Anastasiu's current position as Vice Prime Minister and his duties,” the Government stated in a release.
According to him, the circumstances described in the reasoning are unrelated to his current role as Vice Prime Minister.
PSD Senator Daniel Cătălin Zamfir demanded Anastasiu's resignation. "The end of the road for Vice Prime Minister Anastasiu. A Vice Prime Minister who commits a crime in a continuous manner for 8 years cannot continue in the Romanian Government. Period," he wrote on Facebook.