Chief prosecutor with the National Anticorruption Directorate, Marius Voineag, on Thursday stated that the operation carried out at the beginning of this week in the Port of Constanta was „of an unprecedented scale,” with all the institution’s resources being used to the maximum.
„We are talking about a case that targets a critical infrastructure of the Romanian state, and I am referring here to the Constanta Port. Our operation was of an unprecedented scale, in which we used all the resources of the institution to the fullest – complex technical means, undercover investigators. Basically, we used almost the entire instruments available. A case that required, first of all, time and patience to carefully build a complete evidence base and to identify all the ramifications. Everyone suspected that something was happening in the Port of Constanta, but, in order to succeed, we had to build the case with great care and discretion,” said Marius Voineag, on the occasion of the DNA activity report for 2024.
He added that the institution he leads wants to continue moving in the direction where „there is a lot of money at stake, because there are great temptations there.”
„If we really want to combat corruption, cases must be built on solid foundations and this can sometimes mean sacrificing short-term image to achieve long-term results,” said the DNA chief prosecutor.
According to the National Anticorruption Directorate, during the period 2024 – 2025, several businessmen and representatives of commercial companies allegedly promised and handed over to officials from the Administration of Maritime Ports SA Constanta amounts of money ranging from 2,000 euros to 100,000 euros, as well as other goods, to provide them with support and to help them develop their businesses in the area of the Port of Constanta.
Through these steps, the businessmen allegedly aimed to: obtain real estate concessions and subsequently register them in the name of a company; speed up the completion of the necessary documents for the approval and endorsement at the level of CN Administratia Porturilor Maritime SA Constanta of a railway connection; extend a waste collection contract; ensure exclusive access for certain commercial companies to certain berths. The businessmen also wanted to win tenders and preferentially award contracts; approve projects aimed at expanding the operations of certain commercial companies; lease or concession of land on a preferential basis; employ certain people within CN Administratia Porturilor Maritime SA Constanta.
The amount of money that were allegedly promised by the businessmen are estimated at approximately 6 million euros.
AGERPRES
