What the newspapers say: May 23, 2011
All newspapers today read about massive raids organized by anti graft prosecutors in customs in Constanta, South East Romania and in Bucharest in a file of counterfeit and fiscal evasion. Newspapers claim that Democratic Liberal politicians are involved including an Interior ministry official. Local officials in Alba, central Romania returned in the last years 1.8 million euro representing the car tax which car owners had paid. Several ads at Dacia Duster stirred controversy in Germany.
All newspapers read about tens of raids happening this morning in Constanta, South East Romania and Bucharest in a file of counterfeit and fiscal evasion. Prosecutors seem to also target Interior ministry secretary general Laurentiu Mironescu apparently involved in several controversial businesses and Democratic Liberal Senator Mircea Banias, Romania libera reads.
The newspaper reads that Banias was a former director of the Port of Constanta before he became a Senator. What’s more, the two are partners in equal parts, in the Euro Shipping Services SRL since 2006. The anti graft prosecutors target several activities of this company regarding some shipments from China.
Evenimentul Zilei reads that Banias arrived this morning at the anti-graft prosecutors’ headquarters. He denied that his house in Constanta was searched by anti-graft prosecutors. On the other hand, Mironescu confirmed that his house was searched this morning. Gandul reads about the huge wealth accumulated by Laurentiu Mironescu, general secretary in the Interior ministry.
Apparently he owns an apartment in Bucharest, two houses in which he lives and two holiday houses. In addition he has five fields in Prahova county nearby Bucharest and the rest in South East Romania. He also has over 50,000 euro in bank accounts, lent 40,000 euro to some companies but a debt worth over 320,000 euro.
According to the wealth declaration, Mironescu earns over 78,753 lei annually and his wife 8,204 annually. Elsewhere in the news, Romania libera reads that local authorities in Alba, central Romania returned 1.8 million euro to car owners who paid the car tax following a court’s decision. The institution lost since 2008 until now over 1,300 trials in which it was compelled to give back the value of the car tax.
Last but not least, Gandul reads that some ads at Dacia Duster stirred up controversy among the German public. All ads portray scenes in which Duster is vandalized, either through direct hits, or through scrapings. At the end of each ad, after the car is vandalized by others who own more expensive cars, the price of the car appears, starting from 11,990 euro.
All ads can be viewed on www.dacia.de. The result is a panic reaction of losing a certain status, the website informs. Duster symbolizes the social status of those that do not struggle for a social status, the main message of the ads says. In the first three months of the year, Dacia exports increased by over 50% compared to the same period in 2010.