Prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Department (DNA) started the criminal prosecution of three former managers of Romanian gas producer Romgaz.

One of them is Pantelimon Avram, who was the manager of Romgaz’s Targu Mures branch. He is being investigated for bribery and instigation to abuse of office, according to a statement from DNA.

The other two are Sergiu Victor Banu and Gheorghe Matei, who at the time of the facts were technical director, respectively deputy director – production within the same Romgaz branch.

Prosecutors say that, in 2011, Romgaz's Targu Mures branch organized a public tender to award a contract for the delivery of equipment necessary for the production of electricity with gas heat engines. An association of three companies won the public tender. In this context, branch manager Avram Pantelimon received EUR 60,000 from one of the three winning companies’ representative to accept a piece of equipment that did not meet the requirements set in the tender documentation.

Moreover, Pantelimon and the other two directors signed a document setting the terms for receiving the electricity production equipment. The piece of equipment that didn’t meet the standards set in the contract was accepted based on this document.

Thus, the three suspects caused a damage of more than RON 2.62 million (some EUR 570,000) to Romgaz, the amount representing the equivalent of the price paid for the piece of equipment.

This is not the first time when Pantelimon Avram has problems with the law. Last year, DNA prosecutors sent him to court for abuse of office in a case targeting some unjustified expenses in Romgaz Targu Mures’ accounting.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com