RO Health Ministry buys face masks worth EUR 15 mln from Canadian investor’s firm

Romania's Health Ministry announced that it purchased 115 million face masks to be distributed to low-income households, for a price or just over EUR 15 mln. The ministry will distribute the masks to about 2.3 million low-income persons, 50 pieces for each.

Naguma Medical Supply, a company recently founded by Canadian real estate investor Michael Topolinski and his family, won the Health Ministry's tender, the G4media.ro reported.

Topolinski announced in April that he founded a new company for importing face masks and other medical materials amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

"We decided to bring in large quantities of masks, thus contributing to the safety of the people and the reduction of costs on the market so that they can become more accessible for everyone," Topolinski said at that time.

That was before the authorities announced that masks would become mandatory in all closed public spaces.

Former PM Victor Ponta, the leader of Pro Romania party, criticized the Health Ministry's acquisition claiming that the tender was tailored to fit the profile of a particular bidder who eventually won the contract.

Canadian real estate mogul Michael Topolinski had the masks (at least 90 million) since April 9, and he hasn't managed to sell them, Ponta claims. The tight deadline (seven days for the delivery of the masks across the country) was aimed at barring other bidders, Ponta implied. He also claims the text of the tender book was changed to fit Topolinski's masks.

The Health Ministry announced the transaction just one day after the anticorruption prosecutors announced they were investigating the head of the state medical supply contractor Unifarm for bribery. The investigation is also related to the acquisition of face masks.

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