Corruption during the pandemic?

The years 2020 and 2021, the first and most difficult of the Covid-19 pandemic, involved huge budget expenses in the medical field without which the hospitals couldn't have coped with the waves of infections.

However, some public procurement procedures at that time have raised suspicions, something not unusual in a country where contracts with the state are the most rewarding. Anti-corruption prosecutors have kicked off a series of investigations, which have revealed the involvement of several celebrities in Romania. The National Anti-corruption Directorate, known in Romania as the DNA, has detained, among others, the former selector of the Romanian national football side, Victor Piturca, and Gabriel Ţuţu, director of Romarm, the main company specialized in the production and export of military gear, in a file on the purchase of some production lines, which were not up to the production standards, and the selling of masks to the Ministry of Defence during the pandemic.

One of the companies involved in these transactions allegedly belong to Alex Piturca, the son of the former football star, who has also been accused of using his influence in order to ease his son's access to the contracts. Gabriel Ţuţu has been facing charges of abuse of office with aggravating circumstances, influence peddling and forgery. According to prosecutors, against the Covid-19 pandemic between March 2020 and September 2021, Gabriel Ţuţu, as director general of Romarm, would have concluded with a series of companies, including one belonging to the other person presently under investigation, two public procurement contracts that eventually proved to be disadvantageous for the company he was leading. The contracts were for buying of seven pieces of equipment used in the production of masks, but the machines purchased failed to meet the production standards.

The transactions concluded eventually resulted in a prejudice of 1.7 million euros for the state-owned company Romarm. According to prosecutors, Ţuţu would have asked the companies involved in the aforementioned procurement transactions to conclude consultancy contracts with one of his friends, who wasn't actually involved in the real trade activities under the aforementioned contract.

The suspect insinuated that he had influence over Defence Ministry employees and was able to influence their granting of contracts. Ţuţu has allegedly received the sum of 10 thousand Euros through a middleman. We recall that selector Piturca had already received a one-year suspended prison sentence for perjury. Piturca is the goal-getter of the legendary football side Steaua Bucharest with which he won back in late 80s the European Champions Cup and Europe's Supercup. He was also a reputed football coach whose prize closet includes numerous trophies he won with the clubs he coached and had a considerable hand in the qualification of the Romanian national squad for two major European tournaments.

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