RO FinMin estimates EUR 40 mln frauds at Bucharest City Hall

The Finance Ministry's inspectors estimated the volume of losses generated by mismanagement at Bucharest City Hall at EUR 40 million, Liberal (PNL) finance minister Forin Citu announced, pointing to the outgoing Social Democrat (PSD) mayor Gabriela Firea.

"The total amount that the Finance Ministry inspectors calculated as damage, following the control carried at Bucharest City Hall (PMB), is about RON 200 mln (around EUR 40 mln)," announced Florin Citu in a press conference on Monday, Wall-street.ro reported.

However, he didn't mention what caused these damages.

The control at the Bucharest City Hall started on January 30, 2020, and lasted until March 10, 2020.

Departing mayor Gabriela Firea accused minister Citu of initiating a "politicised" inspection at PMB in December 2019, which resulted in no evidence of any frauds whatsoever. The claims about the EUR 40 mln frauds are "ridiculous," she added. Firea accused Citu of political vendetta.

"The minister fights with me because I am the first on the Social Democrats' list [in the general elections] for the Senate," the former Bucharest mayor Firea claimed, quoted by Hotnews.ro.

At the end of September, Gabriela Firea lost the elections for Bucharest mayor to Nicusor Dan, who was supported by a coalition made of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and progressist alliance USR-PLUS.

When he started his mandate, Nicusor Dan announced he would order an audit at the City Hall.

(Photo: Remus Grigore/ Dreamstime)