Romanian Deputy PM resigns amid resurfaced corruption scandal

Al Bawaba

2 days ago

ALBAWABA- Romania's Deputy Prime Minister, Dragoș Anastasiu, announced his resignation on Sunday following the resurfacing of an old corruption scandal in which he was involved as a witness.
According to Reuters, His departure comes as the country's fragile, one-month-old coalition government pushes ahead with controversial cost-cutting reforms aimed at reducing the EU's largest budget deficit.
Anastasiu, who had been appointed by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan to lead reforms of Romania's inefficient state-owned enterprises, stepped down after media reports revisited a corruption case involving his company and the national tax authority.
According to the revived case, one of Anastasiu's firms was blackmailed by a tax inspector into paying bribes disguised as consultancy fees from 2009 to 2017 in order to avoid burdensome audits.
The company eventually reported the inspector, who was convicted in 2023. Neither Anastasiu nor his business partner were charged with any wrongdoing.
In a public statement, Anastasiu defended his company's conduct, saying it had paid all required taxes and that the payments were made 'for survival, not profit.' He urged fellow business owners to come forward with similar experiences. Also Read Cambodia–Thailand border clashes persist despite ceasefire talks
'I encourage every entrepreneur to speak out about the conditions under which business has been conducted in Romania. We must no longer tolerate what we once did, even when mistakes were made,' he said.
The resignation adds pressure on the government as it prepares to raise several taxes in August, cut public sector bonuses, and lay off staff, measures that have already triggered street protests.
Although Romania narrowly avoided a downgrade from the lowest investment-grade credit rating, market volatility continues to pose risks.