What the newspapers say: March 18, 2009

A new scandal seems to pin citizen’s attention away from the economic crisis, namely the false diplomas from the Military and Police Academies in Bucharest. Liberal businessman Dinu Patriciu talks about the real estate sector as the crisis deepens. Last but not least, President Basescu forecasts that Romania’s economy will still be affected in 2010.

Romania Libera reads about a new scandal regarding fake diplomas that embraces the well respected Military and Police Academies in Bucharest. The newspaper reads that most professors are suspected that they have been part of a network that faked some 15,000 diplomas.

Most of those soliciting a diploma did not even finish high school but the network had no problem forging them a baccalaureate degree together with a university diploma. Each forged diploma was worth 3,500 euro.

A new scandal broke out after the Military Academy in Bucharest was accused by anti-graft prosecutors of forging diplomas for university teachers. Education minister Ecaterina Andronescu declared that she will take serious measures against those involved in the illegal process. He declared that she will exclude those professors who have fake diplomas from the system.

In the same vein, Cotidianul reads, quoting the ruling of a Bucharest court that the Bucharest Central Military Hospital director Ioan Sarbu did not receive some of his accreditations by merit. The court ruled that Sarbu was enrolled in university without grounds back in 1990.

Plus, Sarbu was promoted within Bucharest University of Stomathology illegally: he did not have 20 years of experience as required by law but only 8.However, the court’s decision reads that Sarbu’s promotion was based on a misinterpretation of the documents.

Evenimentul zilei quotes Liberal businessman Dinu Patriciu saying that the real estate market will continue to be affected by the crisis and prices will decrease significantly. Patriciu explained that household prices will continue to decrease.

The paper reads that Patriciu warned about the effects of the crisis even when sales were booming and said that the only barrier to the price decrease would be a barter between those who finance and those who build residential complexes.

Patriciu said that the market is blocked at the moment but prices will fall soon. He added that in several months the price cut will not be able to the stopped.

Also about the economy, President Basescu said that Romania’s economy will still be affected by the crisis in 2010, Cotidianul reads. Basescu explained for the newspaper that in times of hardships he cannot stand there and not get involved.