Former Justice Min Called To Answer To Anticorruption Prosecutors

However, the official said that the file the DNA holds is from September 2006, when he was not justice minister, and added that it refers to several public procurements performed by the Post Office, having nothing to do with the above mentioned government decision.

The Ministry of Justice issued a press statement explaining the reasons for the approval of government decision no. 377/2007 regarding the transfer of a land in the administration of the Post Office.  

A couple of months ago, the anticorruption department DNA said it started an investigation following media information on the legality of certain public procurements of the post office as well as the legitimacy of the institution’s associations with different companies.

In April 2007, news released by TV station the Money Channel talked about the association of the Romanian Post Office with two commercial companies. Prosecutors extended the investigation to a building in Bucharest, public property of the state, that was given by the Post Office as contribution to the share capital of private company SC Imopost Developments SA.

The existence of file was brought to the attention of the media when Cozmin Gusa, president of the National Initiative Party, said that the DNA was investigating Chiuariu.

However, government decision no. 377/2007 observed all legal stipulations. The motivation regarding the decision was given by the Ministry of Communications and approved by both the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Justice.

The Justice Ministry said the government decision does not approve transferring the land from the property of the state, as Gusa initially said.        

The decision was also signed by the Prime Minister, the former minister of communication and information technology Zsolt Nagy and the minister of economy and finance Varujan Vosganian.

Chiuariu resigned his position, when president Traian Basescu urged him publicly to resign, stating that Chiuariu might appear before prosecutors and it would be a serious problem if he does so from the position of justice minister.

Chiuariu gave up his position but promised he would return to continue the reform in justice when “this ridiculous frame ends."