Romania Integrity Agency Urges Probe Into Opposition Leader For Alleged False Wealth Statements

ANI, established to screen politicians' wealth in a move to crack down top-level corruption, said in a press release it took this measure following media reports alleging Geoana has breached the legal provisions regulating wealth statements.

Under Law no. 144/2007, senators are among high officials obliged to state their wealth.

ANI said checkups also target Geoana's wife, Mihaela Geoana, in accordance with the provisions of article 10 of Law no. 115/1996, on declaring and checking the wealth of high officials, magistrates, public servants and people holding management and control positions. Subsequent amendments to the law stipulate that, if the person whose wealth is subject to checkups is married, investigations will also target the wealth and income of their spouse.

Checkups have brought to light a series of irregularities in Geoana's wealth statement and the agency learned on July 16, 2009 that Geoana empowered a law firm to represent him, take note of all related inquiries and measures and act as intermediary.

Related checkups and analyses have revealed, among others, that Geoana has never been associate or administrator within any commercial company registered at the National Trade Registry and his wife Mihaela holds a 30% stake in commercial company S.C. LA MAISON CONSULTING SRL, and a 80% stake in S.C. TOPCONT INVEST SRL;

Geoana and his wife also hold bank accounts, land plots and have obtained large incomes and dividends over the past few years, but not all amounts were declared in their wealth statements.

Considering these aspects, it was ascertained that Geoana failed to include or provided false income-related information in his wealth statements submitted in 2006 and 2008.

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