Romania anti-graft prosecutors take railway companies to court in case where prejudice is estimated at RON 1Bln

Romanian National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) prosecutors took to court a former service manager of the Romanian Railways Company (CFR), along with companies Regiotrans, Rail Force and RC CF Trans, in a case where the Romanian state claims a prejudice of RON 1.1 billion.

Regiotrans is a company which belonged to a businessman, Costel Comana, who hanged himself in 2015, while on a plane between Bogota and San Jose. He was investigated in a corruption case.

His name is linked to the leader of Romania’s governing Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea. Investigative website Rise Project reported in March 2017 that Liviu Dragnea received more than EUR 1 million after he sold six properties to Costel Comana. He received the last installment of the money from Comana three days before CFR doubled Comana’s business in a contract covered by Dragnea.

In the current case, prosecutors eye irregularities between 2009 and 2015, which involved misuse of state subsidies.