Romanian prosecutors of the central bureau of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) announced on February 17 that they sent to court four defendants for tax evasion acts carried out from their management positions within a group in the oil industry operating on the territory of Romania.

Two of the four are Romanian citizens, and the other two are Kazakh citizens.

The damage is estimated at RON 38 mln (EUR 8 mln at the current exchange rate). During the procedures, RON 19.2 mln was recovered – but the tax collection body ANAF still claims RON 39.5 mln (most likely including interest and penalties added to the principal of some RON 18 mln left).

Sources familiar with the investigations, quoted by News.ro, stated that the oil group is Rompetrol, taken over by Kazakh state-owned KazMunayGas.

Between January 2010 and October 2013, three of the defendants, together with other persons, allegedly constituted, respectively supported, an organized criminal group in order to commit the crimes of influence peddling, tax evasion and money laundering, the prosecutors claim.

Rompetrol, a Romanian oil group developed by Dinu Patriciu based on the Black Sea refinery Petromidia built during the communist regime, was purchased by KazMunaygas in two steps in 2007 (75%) and 2009 (25%).

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Carol Robert/Dreamstime.com)