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Alexandru Cumpănașu, a former candidate in the presidential election and accused of fraud with European funds, came to advise the Orban government on the spending of EU money. According to government sources, the decision was made based on a “bureaucratic error” and will be reviewed.
The National Coalition for the Modernization of Romania was named by decision of Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, published in the Official Gazette on April 27, to form part of an advisory body, coordinated by the Ministry of European Funds.
Government representatives told Digi24.ro that this was a “bureaucratic error, previous proposals were made and were not updated.” According to the same sources, the decision will be reviewed.
Specifically, the organization led by Alexandru Cumpănașu was included in the Committee for Association with the Business Environment, along with the Government’s decision to establish it.
This committee has an advisory role in the preparation and implementation of operational programs related to the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework.
It includes more than 30 institutions and organizations, such as the Romanian Academy, the Romanian Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the Romanian Association of Banks, the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sanofi or the Romanian Development Coalition.
In December 2019, Alexandru Cumpănaşu was indicted by DNA Constanța for providing false data in a European-funded project carried out by SNSPA.
He said he was called to DNA to be heard in a case related to an SNSPA project, but wanted to specify that he did not lie about his studies and that only the university has to answer about the legality of the job. At the same time, he announced that he will sue Remus Pricopie, the SNSPA rector.
In the wealth declaration published on the occasion of the presidential candidacy, Alexandru Cumpănașu stated that he received a salary of more than 5,500 lei per month from SNSPA in 2018 and another 4,900 lei per month from the Executive Unit to Finance Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCIDI), although it does not have higher education.
He obtained tens of millions of lei of projects with European funds carried out by the Association for the Implementation of Democracy, the NGO founded and directed by him. Its partners were large academic institutions and the Ministry of Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Police Academy, the Investigation Authority or the district mayors. Once the projects began to be implemented, Cumpănașu and his wife ended up being remunerated as experts.
Publisher: G.C.
