Romania's Court of Auditors notifies DNA on EUR 303 mln damages

Romania’s Court of Auditors notified the Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) about alleged illegal actions that may have caused total damages of RON 1.36 billion (EUR 303 million), in the first seven months of the year. The most serious irregularities were found at the National Highways Company (CNADNR), electricity producer Electrocentrale Grup, Bucharest City Hall, and the tax authority ANAF, reports News.ro. The court also found irregularities at the Agriculture Ministry and the Regional Development Ministry. In total, the institution made 35 notifications between January and July this year only for damages of over EUR 500,000, according to a document of the Court of Auditors. The crimes referred to by the Court of Auditors are abuse of office, conflict of interest, embezzlement, and negligence. The biggest damage was found during a control carried out at the housing bank BCR Banca pentru Locuinte. This amounts to EUR 59.6 million. The Court of Auditors notified DNA about alleged illegal activities of the two housing banks in Romania, BCR Banca pentru Locuinte and Raiffeisen Banca pentru Locuinte. According to the control institution, the two banks may have illegally received public funds. DNA announced on Wednesday that it passed this case to the General Prosecutor’s Office. Meanwhile, the two banks claim that they have done nothing wrong and that getting state bonuses for the sums saved by their clients is the way such banks operate, as their purpose is to encourage clients to save money for building or buying new houses. editor@romania-insider.com