Former directors of Romania’s Hidroelectrica and Portile de Fier I investigated in EUR 185 mln damage case

Former directors of Romania’s Hidroelectrica and Portile de Fier I energy producers are being investigated by the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), which is currently looking into the two companies’ activity since 2000, according to judicial sources quoted by local Mediafax. The damage in this case amounts to EUR 185 million, but the value might increase as the investigation continues. The sources told the news agency that 20 people have been accused in this case. Some of the suspects, including former directors of Hidroelectrica, Eugen Pena and Oprea Traian, went on Tuesday, April 8, to the DIICOT headquarters, where they’ve been informed about the accusations. “This is about the technological upgrade at Portile de Fier I and about a malfeasance in office made by all the directors and the staff there. The investigation covers the period from 2000 to present time and targets the entire management of Portile de Fier and Hidroelectrica, and then we’ll see if the investigation extends to the ministerial area,” said the sources. According to them, at the moment, there are no current or former ministers investigated in this case, but the investigation “may lead to this direction”. “The management couldn’t do anything without ministerial approval, just that the investigation was not yet pointed in this direction,” the judicial sources told Mediafax. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com