Former Microsoft Romania GMs, state officials prosecuted in corruption case

Claudiu Florica, the former head of Fujitsu Romania, Silviu Hotaran, the former general director of Microsoft Romania, and Ovidiu Artopolescu, the former general manager of Microsoft Romania, were placed under judicial control for 60 days in a corruption case related to the purchase of overpriced Microsoft licenses by state institutions. The anticorruption prosecutors estimate that the damage in this case is almost USD 67 million. Former education minister Alexandru Athanasiu was called for hearings at the headquarters of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) yesterday. DNA also asked the Parliament to allow the prosecution of Eugen Bejinariu, the former minister for coordinating the Government's General Secretariat in 2003-2004, who is currently a deputy. Being an MP, Bejinariu can’t be prosecuted without the approval of his fellow MPs. The former minister is charged with abuse of office. He allegedly initiated and supported the projects of two government decisions that approved the signing of a contract between the Romanian Government and Fujitsu Siemens Computers GmbH for renting Microsoft licenses, in April 2004. The documents were falsely invoking Fujitsu Siemens as the only provider of these licenses. This was meant to favor the firm at a public tender. Bejinariu also supported the contract that prolonged that commercial deal between the Government and Fujitsu Siemens in October 2004. editor@romania-insider.com