Former head of Romanian Health Insurance House sent to jail for bribe-taking

Lucian Duță, the former head of the Health Insurance House (CNAS), was given a final 6-year jail sentence for taking a bribe from the companies that developed and implemented the health card system: Hewlett Packard (HP) Romania and its contractor Siveco.

Duță, who had been sentenced by a lower court, filed a request in May to the Bucharest Court of Appeal, requesting the reinstatement of the trial, citing the decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania regarding the prescription of deeds, G4media.ro reported.

The former head of CNAS is accused of receiving a bribe of EUR 6.3 million in cash or into the Swiss account of an off-shore company. The sum accounts for 10% of the value of the IT contracts awarded by CNAS.

The representatives of the contractors, Radu Enache, the representative of Hewlett Packard (HP) Romania and Irina Socol, the representative of the subcontractor Siveco Romania, reported Lucian Duţă for his deeds.

One of the contracts for which Duţă requested the 10% fee was signed in April 2012 for the implementation of the National Social Health Insurance Card in the amount of over RON 87 mln (EUR 18 mln).

(Photo: Dreamstime)