03. 09. 09. - 09:00

• more General News news...
• RSS Feed General News

03. 09. 09. - 09:00

Romanian Frigate deal probe is stopped

Mediafax

Britain’s Serious Fraud Office has stopped investigations over price irregularities in the sale of two frigates to Romania.

Romania’s Anticorruption Department (DNA) gave up the investigation in June and this week revealed that the British had been in touch to inform them that they had also now stopped the investigation.

It will remain on ice unless fresh evidence in the case emerges, British and Romanian officials revealed.

The investigation centred on bribery allegations in the sale of the frigates "King Ferdinand" and "Queen Mary" from Great Britain to Romania.

On April 28, 2006, the British authorities asked Romania’s General Prosecutor’s Office for legal assistance in the inquiry into the procurement of British frigates by Romania. The case was directed to the National Anticorruption Department on May 10, 2006.

On June 8, 2006, a Romanian woman and her British-born husband were arrested in London on charges of receiving proceeds from the sale of two British warships to Romania.

Barry George, 61, and his Romanian born wife, Georgiana, 41, were arrested after police searched their home and seized documents. At the time, George was acting as BAE Systems Ltd agent during the frigate deal.

The UK Serious Fraud Office was investigating a "commission" of 7 million GBP paid to BAE, Britain’s largest company in the defence sector.

Sources within the Commerce Ministry said BAE admitted that a commission had been paid, but declined to say who received it.

Barry George had allegedly obtained one per cent from the value of the contract, while a further seven per cent had allegedly gone to unknown people.

George and his wife were set free after 24 hours in jail after the police confiscated 20,000 GBP found in their home.

Romanian investigators also searched the company of Barry George’s family in Bucharest.

Inflation reaches two-years high
Romania's annual inflation in August rocketed to 7.58 per cent, the highest figure in the last two years, the National Statistics Institute (INS) said today (Fri).

FDI drops by a third
Foreign direct investments (FDI) in Romania dropped by 36 per cent to 1.9 billion Euros in the first seven months of this year, the central bank said today (Fri).

ING to invest 250mn Euros in regional centre in Transylvania
ING Group is to invest 250 million Euros in the following ten years, for the development of the newly opened regional services centre, in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, company officials have announced.

Pharma market boosted in Q2
The pharma market in Romania registered a boost in the second quarter of this year, a report by marketing and sales reports company Cegedim showed yesterday (Thurs).

Romanian TV boss arrested
The owner of TV channel Realitatea TV, Sorin Ovidiu Vintu, and two other people have been put under preventive arrest for 29 days.

Eric Besson: There is no competition between France and Romania
French Immigration minister, Eric Besson, said yesterday (Thurs), during his visit to Bucharest, that there was "no competition" between France and Romania.

Austrian motorist dies in Romania
An Austrian motorist has died while on holiday in southern Romania, according to local press reports.

Cocaine found in shipped party game
A Romanian tried to smuggle almost one kilo of cocaine into Austria from Costa Rica hid in a party game, the Austrian Times has reported today.

Romanian company bosses, last in income rankings
Romanian company bosses have been identified as bottom lights in a European comparison made by Vienna-based business consulting agency Kienbaum Management Consultants, the Austrian Times has reported today.

Romania tries to cover medical-personnel deficit
After the departure of thousands of doctors and nurses from Romanian hospitals for salaries up to ten times higher abroad, leaving a deserted medical system in Romania, the Health Ministry has finally announced new hires in the sector.