Romanian prosecutors: Former tax agency head used 5 ghost firms for bribe

Sorin Blejnar, the former president of the Tax Agency ANAF, allegedly used five ghost companies, whose stakeholders were mainly Arab citizens, to cash out from the bank the EUR 3 million he had received as bribe, according to DNA prosecutors, reports local Profit.ro. Blejnar received the money in exchange for helping an IT company win two contracts with ANAF. The amount represented 20% of the contracts’ value. He was taken into custody yesterday evening after the court approved a 30-day arrest warrant on his name. Blejnar split the money with subordinates who were in charge of the procurement process, according to DNA. In early June this year, Sorin Blejnar was sentenced to five years in prison, no parole, for accessory to tax evasion and setting up an organized crime group. In the same case, local investors Radu and Diana Nemes, who coordinated the illegal activities, were also sentenced to nine years, respectively seven years in jail. The couple has been charged with tax evasion and money laundering. editor@romania-insider.com