The Minister of Economy, Irineu Darău, accuses the former leadership of the Romanian Agency for Digitalization (ADR) of using European funds from the PNRR allocated to the Governmental Cloud for salary payments, leading to a damage of 14.7 million lei that now needs to be covered from the state budget.
In a post published on Monday on Facebook, Darău claimed that under the leadership of former ADR chief Dragoș Vlad, „European funds intended for technical investments in the Governmental Cloud” were used for salaries, which would represent „ineligible expenses.”
"The result? A damage of 14.7 million lei that now needs to be covered from the Romanian state budget," the minister wrote.
Accusations regarding "administrative chaos" and lack of a continuity plan
Irineu Darău argues that the problems were not limited to the loss of European funds but also affected the functioning of the Governmental Cloud project, considered critical infrastructure.
"When the situation exploded, those who led ADR did not come up with solutions. They had no plan to protect the technical team managing the critical infrastructure of the Governmental Cloud. No continuity strategy. No accountability," the minister stated.
He spoke of "delays, blockages, and administrative chaos" and accused the specialists involved in the project of being "completely left in the air."
"Warning to the smart guys: it doesn't work anymore"
In his message, the Minister of Digitalization criticized the way Romania's digitalization has been managed in recent years. "For years, Romania's digitalization has been treated with 'it works like this anyway,' with combinations and smart guys connected to public money," Darău wrote.
He added that the decision of the High Court of Cassation and Justice is final. "Warning to the smart guys: it doesn't work anymore. The decision of the High Court of Cassation and Justice is final. The money must be returned. The European funds account is replenished. Quickly. Without delays. Without excuses," the minister conveyed.
Complaint to DNA filed by former ADR chief
The former president of ADR, Dragoș Vlad, announced last week that he filed a criminal complaint with DNA against interim Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu and Irineu Darău.
According to the accusations made by Vlad, there were pressures on him to violate public procurement legislation and to find solutions for collaboration with the Schwartz group.