The vicepresident of Romanian lender BRD was taken into custody and will be investigated in a case involving fraud and money laundering in the banking system, with the damages estimated to reach some EUR 22 million. Claudiu Cercel (in picture), the vicepresident of BRD, is one of the 33 people which were brought into custody in this case. Aurel Saramet, the head of the Fund of Guaranteeing Loans for Small and Medium Enterprises, who was suspended from his job, will be investigated without being taken into custody.

Among the other people the Police detained on Thursday (November 1) are the group's leader Daniel Ruse and a former general, Florian Dragos Diaconescu. They were arrested by the Bucharest Police and will go to court today (November 2), facing the proposal to be arrested for a longer period of time.

Over 100 people were questioned on Thursday in the banking fraud case. Some of them are accused of having illegally obtained from the Economy Ministry, based on forged documents, financing for projects to acquire equipment via companies controlled by the leaders of the fraudulent group.

The prosecutors searched the homes of 50 people this morning, as well as company headquarters. The leader of the group was allegedly Daniel Ruse and the group obtained or tried to obtain 40 loans from 16 bank units across Romania by using forged documents between 2010 and 2012.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: BRD)