László Borbély suspected of ‘influence peddling’

The prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate state that the Minister of Environment, László Borbély, is involved in the preferential granting of some projects to a specific company. In exchange for the contracts, the owner of the company in question has renovated an apartment with the sum of 20 000 euros, the beneficiary being László Borbély himself.

The Minister of Environment, László Borbély, does not comment upon the alleged involvement in an influence peddling case, an official of the Ministry of Environment and Forests declared for Radio Romania Actualităţi.

The Minister is presently abroad and, until his return from Poland, where he is partaking in the Environment Informal Council of the European Union, the press bureau of the institution has nothing to declare.

The contracts suspected by the prosecutors to be problematic are held by a unity subordinated to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Its manager has declared that, probably, a misunderstanding has occurred, all the contracts having been won by means of public auctions.

The anticorruption prosecutors from Oradea have already commenced the criminal investigation in this file against Ioan Ciocan from Negreşti, Oaş, who is the sole associate of the company which benefits from the projects, as well as against László Borbély’s personal advisor, Szepessy Szabolcs, who has supposedly acted as an intermediary between the businessman and the Minister, according to the data communicated by NAD.

According to the institution, Ioan Ciocan has improved an apartment of the Minister with a sum of 20.000 Euros from the company’s money.

The projects have been accomplished in order to obtain, by means of the influence which the Minister has, contracts with the “Romanian Waters” National Administration, an institution which is coordinated by the Ministry in question. Another purpose was to obtain, with priority, some projects contracted with the same public institution, which are already in the course of being executed, NAD states.

Ioan Ciocan is being accused of buying influence and Szepessy Szabolcs is being accused of complicity in the crime of buying influence.

The defendants have been informed of the accusations, as specified by the law.

Translated by: Mădălina Borcău,
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University