Romanian prosecutors from Brasov have begun the prosecution of the former chief of Romania's tax administration ANAF, Sorin Blejnar and his former adviser and chief of cabinet Codrut Marta, in a case in which they are accused of complicity in tax evasion and supporting a criminal organization in 2009 and 2010.

The members of the group supported by Blejnar and Marta allegedly initiated a comprehensive tax evasion mechanism in order not to pay excises for about 5,000 tons of diesel purchased under a suspensive condition and commercialized on the internal market. Several Italians and Hungarians also supported the group.

"In fact, during March-July 2010 the defendants Morcov Caecilian, Andrei Kelemen, Peter Sztufliak, Monea Claudiu, Salvatore Cuccina and Ciobanu Dorel have created an organized criminal group with cross-border links, joined by 20 other persons, Romanian, Hungarian and Italian citizens, specializing in tax evasion on energy products - fuels," reads a press release from prosecutors.

The state would have lost over RON 10.5 million in VAT and over RON 10.8 million in excise duties for diesel, the total amount of the losses currently being set at RON 22 million.

The criminal group was supported by stakeholders from ANAF and the County Excise Authority and Customs Operations Brasov, which either made only ​​brief controls or stopped the firms involved from being properly checked.

A month before being dismissed, Sorin Blejnar said that the system has not "been cleaned" with the investigation of the 40 employees of customs, and if money had "walked" , those individuals will be identified, said former ANAF president Sorin Blejnar previously. He is convinced that there is evidence of corruption "in other parts of the tax administration'.

ANAF leadership was taken over in April this year by Serban Pop, who was formerly vice president of the agency during the tenure of the Government headed by Calin Popescu Tariceanu. He was dismissed in January 2009 by then Prime Minister Emil Boc.

Ioana Toader, ioana.toader@romania-insider.com

 (photo source: gov.ro)