Former Romanian communications minister, three others, arrested in the Microsoft IT licenses case

Romanian businessmen Dorin Cocos and Nicolae Dumitru, former communications minister Gabriel Sandu and the mayor of Piatra Neamt Gheorghe Stefan were arrested early this morning, after they were questioned the entire day yesterday by the anticorruption prosecutors in the Microsoft IT licenses case. The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has asked for arrest warrants for all four of them, for a minimum period of 30 days. Dorin Cocos is the ex-husband of presidential candidate Elena Udrea, while Nicolae Dumitru is the owner of the Niro group. The Microsoft IT licenses case centers on the purchase of overpriced hardware and IT licenses made by Romania’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communications from a group of firms led by Fujitsu Siemens Computers Romania. The contract, which damaged the state’s budget, was signed in 2004, and several former ministers are investigated for it. Investigators have found that although Microsoft granted a 47% discount for the IT licenses that were going to be purchased by the Government, the state agreed to buy these licenses via Fujitsu Siemens computers for full price. The volume of licenses bought by the state was also higher than what was really needed. The extra money paid by the state were divided between Fujitsu Siemens Computers and the other firms involved in the contract, Romanian ministers and local businessmen who acted as “influencers” in the decision making process. One of these people was Nicolae Dumitru, who allegedly received USD 7.65 million to influence the Government’s general secretary Serban Mihailescu and communications minister Dan Nica into signing the contract with Fujitsu Siemens Computers Romania, in 2004. Gabriel Sandu was communications minister in Emil Boc’s cabinet from 2008 until 2010 and had nothing to do with the initial contract. He is investigated, however, for a new contract negotiated in spring 2009, when the Microsoft IT licenses which the Government had purchased or leased from Fujitsu Siemens expired. According to the DNA prosecutors, Gabriel Sandu, Gheorghe Stefan and Dorin Cocos asked a consortium of companies led by the firm D-CON.NET AG to pay them some EUR 18 million, in exchange for their help to win the new contract for Microsoft IT licenses to state institutions. Gabriel Sandu allegedly received EUR 2.7 million, Gheorghe Stefan got EUR 4 million and Dorin Cocos was paid EUR 9 million, according to DNA. A total of nine former ministers are investigated in this case. editor@romania-insider.com