Tax authority to auction off convicted former minister’s cars and plots of land

The Romanian tax authority ANAF will auction off two cars and several plots of land that were owned by former tourism minister Elena Udrea.

To make up for part of what the former minister owes to the state, ANAF is asking for just over EUR 7,000 for a 10-year-old Fiat 500 and roughly EUR 7,700 for a Mercedes Benz S500 that is 17 years old.

The tax authority is also auctioning off six plots of land, five of which are over 880 square meters in size, near Bucharest’s Străulești lake. ANAF wants approximately EUR 800,000 in total for the parcels of land, according to Profit.ro.

Udrea was investigated and later convicted to six years in jail for bribery and abuse of office in the Gala Bute case. Shortly before the sentence was given, the former minister tried to leave Romania but was caught in Bulgaria while she was trying to cross into Greece. She was detained and then extradited back home.

ANAF regularly puts confiscated goods up for auction in order to recover unpaid fees and taxes, as well as cover the cost of damages in criminal cases. If the goods do not sell the first time they are put up for auction, then the procedure is repeated and the price is reduced by 25%. The asking price drops another 25% if the goods are not sold at the second auction either.

(Photo source: Elena Udrea on Facebook)