BREAKING Victor Pițurcă, former national football team coach, and Romarm chief Gabriel Țuțu have been detained by National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in the case of non-compliant medical masks delivered to Ministry of Defense hospitals (Official)

Victor Pițurcă, the former coach of Romania’s national football team, was arrested on Monday by the DNA. Along with Pițurcă, the head of Romarm, Gabriel Țuțu, was also questioned and subsequently detained, the DNA announced in a press release. Pițurcă and Țuțu were reportedly detained in the case of non-compliant masks delivered to MAPN hospitals.

The company that allegedly delivered the masks belongs to his son, Alex Pițurcă, the sources added. Victor Pițurcă allegedly used his influence to facilitate his son’s access to contracts, such as the one with the Ministry of Defence, worth 11 million lei.

Gabriel Țuțu is described on Romarm’s website as „a highly motivated and proactive manager with solid experience in the field of information security and safety systems” and a „high level of integrity”. According to the website, Țuțu worked for 10 years at the Romanian National Intelligence Service (SRI) and 5 years in commercial security, „during which time prolific collaborations were maintained with several governmental, diplomatic and intelligence agencies”.

According to his résumé, Țuțu graduated from the Law Faculty at the „Danubius” University of Galati, then from the National Academy of Intelligence, followed by postgraduate studies at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute and the National Defense College. From 2003 to 2011 he was an intelligence officer in the SRI, then worked in the Ministry of Communications, was an independent auditor at the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism, an advisor to the CEO at the Romanian Lottery, deputy director at the Authority for the Administration of State Assets, and finally became head of Romarm, the Romanian state-owned arms company.

Here is the press release form the DNA:

Prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate – Anti-Corruption Section have ordered the criminal prosecution and detention of the suspects for 24 hours, starting 30 January 2023:

ȚUȚU GABRIEL, general director of CN Romarm SA, who is alleged to have committed the offences of:
– abuse of office with particularly serious consequences, if the public official has obtained for himself or for another an undue advantage,
– trafficking in influence in a continuous form,
– intellectual forgery;

Natural person, who has been charged with the offence of buying influence.

The prosecutors’ order states that there are aspects of the case which give rise to reasonable suspicion that the following facts are established:

1. Against the background of the pandemic generated by the COVID-19 virus, between 19 March 2020 and 16 September 2021, the suspect Țuțu Gabriel, in the above-mentioned capacity, in violation of the legal provisions, would have concluded two public procurement contracts (for the purchase of seven non-compliant machines for the production of protective masks) with an association of companies which included a company controlled by the other person under investigation in this case, under disadvantageous conditions for the company he managed.
Through the above-mentioned steps, CN Romarm SA was prejudiced with the amount of 8,647,584 lei, representing the value of the above-mentioned machines, the value of the raw material and subsequently the value of related parts and services (outside the contract).

2. In a similar context, between 19.03.2020 and 10.04.2020, the suspect Țuțu Gabriel allegedly demanded, among other things, from the representatives of the companies involved in the above purchases, the introduction of a friend of his into a commercial circuit for the delivery of non-compliant protective masks to the Ministry of National Defence (MApN), without the friend carrying out real commercial activities ancillary to the contract for the delivery of protective products and making payments to the friend (40% of the resulting share of profit) under the guise of a consultancy contract.
In exchange for these „services”, the suspect Țuțu Gabriel allegedly let it be believed that he had influence over officials within the Ministry of Defence and that he would induce them to award supply contracts directly and without public procedures and to carry out the smooth receipt of the products in question and to pay the invoices issued in this respect on time.
In the above context, the suspect Țuțu Gabriel allegedly received through an intermediary the sum of 50,000 lei.

The two suspects were informed of their procedural status and the charges, in accordance with the provisions of Article 307 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Criminal proceedings are also under way against other persons.

We would like to point out that criminal prosecution is a stage of the criminal process regulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure, which cannot, under any circumstances, undermine the principle of presumption of innocence.

Please note that this communication has been drawn up in accordance with Article 28(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code. 4 of the Guide of good practices on the relationship between the judiciary and the media, approved by the Decision of the Plenum of the Superior Council of Magistracy no. 197/2019.

Traducere (Ovidiu Harfas)