Former Romanian Liberal leader’s book advertised for EUR 2.5 mln, only 3,000 copies printed

În slujba țării (In the Service of The Country), an autobiographical book authored by former Liberal (PNL) leader and prime minister Nicolae Ciucă, who also ran in last year's presidential elections, had a limited print run of only 3,000 copies but enjoyed a marketing campaign of around EUR 2.5 million, all financed by the party with public funds, according to a investigation published by Snoop.ro.

The printing of the books cost EUR 23,660, but the ads and billboards promoting the book, which started well ahead of the actual printing, were paid for by PNL with public funds, costing upwards to EUR 2.5 million. The copies, published by RAO, were intended for PNL members and supporters.

Between May and September 2024, just ahead of the European Parliament elections and in preparation for the presidential race, PNL rented 400 billboards with 762 displays, according to official data obtained by the investigative website Snoop.ro.

PNL clarified that the funds used for the billboards featuring Nicolae Ciucă came from the party’s state-budgeted subsidy. The party maintained that the outdoor advertising was for Ciucă’s book and did not fall under electoral advertising regulations, which prohibit such spending during election campaigns.

The autobiography was initially scheduled for release in June, according to Nicolae Ciucă’s statements. However, the postponement of the presidential elections from September to December altered PNL’s strategy, according to sources from the party’s former leadership. The book was ultimately released in September 2024, at the same time as a promotional campaign on TikTok using micro-influencers paid through the FameUp platform.

The former PNL leadership, with Nicolae Ciucă as president and Lucian Bode as secretary general, refused to disclose any financial details about the book. The management of RAO Publishing also declined to reveal the print run or the amount paid by PNL, citing a confidentiality clause.

To obtain this information, Snoop consulted Ilie Bolojan, PNL’s interim president, and Ciprian Ciucu, PNL’s first vice-president.

În slujba țării was made available to the public for free online.

The revelations sparked outrage regarding the alleged circumventing of electoral spending rules.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | George Calin)