The heads of Romania's Emergency Situations Inspectorate - ISU, namely the chief inspector colonel Mihai Mirel Guta, first deputy Orlando Schiopu and the deputy Giani Aldoiu were dismissed yesterday and later heard at the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), as new evidence shows that ISU had been notified by the existence of Colectiv club in Bucharest before the tragedy on October 30.

On October 31, one day after the tragedy, Romania’s State Secretary in the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat said that ISU did not know about the club’s existence.

One month after a fire broke in the Colectiv club, killing 60 people, a journalistic investigation revealed that local event organizer Emagic had sent a notice to ISU, at the end of September, to request their opinion on organizing a music festival in the Colectiv club, where about 2,000 people were expected.

Arafat yesterday explained that he was told by ISU Bucuresti that there were no records about the Colectiv club in their archive. He added that he didn’t plan to resign, but if his superiors asked him to leave the office he would do so. Arafat also said he felt extremely bad about being lied to by ISU.

The Emergency Situations Inspectorate admitted this week that it had received a notice on organizing a big music event in the Pionierul factory, which included the Colectiv club, on September 26, previous to the tragedy on October 30. ISU replied the organizer by presenting the company’s obligations, but there is no proof that somebody actually checked if the club had an authorization for such an event.

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos yesterday said that the three persons heading ISU had to resign and never return to the system.

editor@romania-insider.com