Another illegal restitution case with EUR 7.7 mln damage reaches court in Romania

Seven members of the restitution committee within Romania's National Authority for Property Restitution (ANRP), including the former ANRP president Crinuta Dumitrean, two experts and local investor Horia Simu were sent to court by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), on Friday, in a new illegal restitution case with a damage of EUR 7.7 million. Crinuta Dumitrean was charged with abuse of office and bribery whereas the other six members of the committee were indicted for abuse of office. Investor Horia Simu, who was arrested in June last year in another case related to overvalued retrocessions, is now charged with bribery and repeated money laundering. In 2009, Simu acquired the litigation rights for a land plot in Constanta for EUR 700,000, according to prosecutors. With the help of several people working in public administration, he managed to get EUR 8.75 million worth of compensations for that plot. The plot’s real value was little over EUR 1 million, as it was agricultural land near Constanta. The ANRP members knew that, but still granted Simu the overvalued compensation. Crinuta Dumitrean allegedly received EUR 400,000 from Simu, through an intermediary, for her help. Former president and vice-president of the Romanian restitutions authority held by anticorruption prosecutors Football club owner arrested in overvalued retrocession case, he bribed politician in a church editor@romania-insider.com