Former manager of Bucharest public transport company arrested for abuse of office, EUR 0.8 mln damages

Romania’s prosecutors continue the series of arrests with the former general manager of the Bucharest Public Transport Company RATB, who was taken into custody on Friday, June 6, for abuse of office and bad management. Viorel Popescu, the former general manager of RATB between November 2011 and October 2012, will be sent to court with a proposal for preventive arrest. Prosecutors also started eight home searches in Bucharest, all related to this case. Popescu is believed to have signed, on behalf of RATB, a judicial services contract with a private company that was supposed to help it asses and recover due amounts from the Bucharest Health Insurance House. However, RATB already knew the amounts that were to be recovered, and such a contract was not needed, prosecutors allege. The prejudice in this case was of some EUR 820,000, as RATB has paid the bills issued by the private firm on account of this contract. Viorel Popescu was fired from the helm of RATB in October 2012, for bad management. Research into this case started after a complaint from the Prime Minister’s Control Task Force, and prosecutors had the support of the Romanian Intelligence Service SRI. editor@romania-insider.com