Romanian businessman’s son makes international headlines with his eccentricities

Romanian businessman Viorel Micula’s son, Victor Micula, 19, has been making headlines in the Romanian tabloid media with his eccentricities and even British Daily Mail and Daily Mirror recently wrote about him. Victor Micula got a lot of media attention after saying on Facebook that he plans to buy himself a Bugatti Veyron super car rather than increasing salaries for his father’s workers, after the family business won a big cash compensation from the state. His family controls two of the biggest food and beverages businesses in Romania, European Foods and European Drinks, as well as assets in tourism, real estate properties and TV channels. His father, Viorel Micula, and his uncle Ioan Micula, won a case against the Romanian state, in late 2013. The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) ruled that the Romanian state should pay them EUR 82 million in damages related to a series of tax incentives which they didn’t get from the state. In late 2014, they asked for the sentence to be enforced as the state didn’t pay them the money. It was then when Victor Micula made the comment on Facebook about buying a Bugatti Veyron, answering a comment from one of his friends on the social network who asked if the group’s employees will get any salary raises from the money won in court. “Salaries won't be raised, I'm getting a Bugatti,” the young Micula wrote. Victor Micula, who already drives a Ferrari, has become quite famous for his eccentricities. The Mirror mentioned some of them, such as him going to school by helicopter to be able to sleep late. He also took the helicopter to a monastery where he wanted to pray for good results in his exams, stirring anger among the other people who were praying at the monastery. After the Bugatti comment, Victor Micula wanted to somehow clear up his image. He posted a photo of a homeless man he said he took from the street, gave him a bath, something to eat and clean clothes and some cash. He even let him swim in his indoor pool. He also challenged some of his rich friends to do the same, according to local tabloid Cancan. editor@romania-insider.com